Nari Streeter
by Armageddon Child
Summary: Six genetically engineered experiments escaped from the school. Hundrends were left behind…
1. Prologue: Prayers of a Jailbird

A/N This is my first post, it's just a prologue, but please review anyway. Tell me if you want to hear more!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Prologue: Prayers of a Jailbird

"Dear Lord, send your angels through the night, to keep me safe 'till morning light. Amen."

Nari leaned back against the slats of her wooden dog crate, knotting her fingers through the chicken wire set between each board. With help from the razor thin strand of light spilling from the vent shaft above her, she could just barely see the crate next to her.

The little girl couldn't have been any older than seven. Her gnarled red hair spilled down her back like a curtain of blood, easily overlapping the dark wings between her shoulder blades. Her gnawed down fingers were folded reverently across her lap, her head bowed to face the cement floor as she carefully muttered one prayer after another.

"Dear Lord, please look after Pan. They took her to the white rooms today, and I'd really appreciate it if she came back to me. Amen."

The little girl paused, as if sensing someone was watching her, and slowly twisted around her in too-small crate.

Nari Streeter turned away, brushing her dark-yellow hair streaked with brown away from her speckled gold eyes. She hugged her knees closer to her chest and carefully began to count the slats of her crate. She was fourteen now. Much too old to believe in God. Still, she wouldn't ruin it for the little girl.

Let her believe. She wasn't hurting anyone.

After several minute of silence, the little girl started muttering prayers to herself again. Quieter this time, her small body rocking back and forth like a grandfather clock.

Closing her eyes, Nari rustled her gold, white, and brown-flecked wings, feeling tiny tremors of anticipation bristle her feathers. The white-coats had taken three bird-kids from their cages today. And that had been several hours ago.

They hadn't come back yet.

Pan. That was whom the little girl was praying for. Pan must have been one of the ones taken. Nari filtered through her mental list of names she'd collected over the years. Made-up names, of course.

Pan wasn't one she remembered.

_Big deal._

Nari flicked a pebble on the bottom of her crate. Bird-kids went missing all the time. It didn't matter how doe-eyed, or longhaired, or strikingly handsome they were. Looks weren't enough too keep you at the mercy of the white-coats. You had to be better then good-looking. Better then strong.

You had to be perfect.

Somewhere along the endless lines of silent crates, a scratchy voice began to sob. Nari dug her fingernails into her arm, biting back tears of her own.

Don't cry.

That was the first rule. Never cry. Never let them see how afraid you were. Make them think you hadn't been broken yet. Make them wish they'd never chosen you.

Nari tilted her head slightly to fend off the sudden burst of light that streamed into the crate room as the door burst open. She gritted her teeth and dug her nails in harder, drawing thin moon-shaped lines of blood on the back of her wrist.

Make them wish they'd never chosen you.

Make them suffer.

Make them pay.

The silhouette of a white-coat blocked out the light from the doorway momentarily, like a ghost flicking against the sun. Nari screwed her eyes shut as the footsteps echoed against the cement walls. The white-coat paced slowly, a clipboard held behind his back.

Examining the livestock.

The little girl in the next crate shrunk back against the far wall as the white-coat ran his spindly fingers along her lock, slowly removing a key from his coat pocket. The lock clicked open and fell to the floor, rattling unpleasantly in the cold.

She screamed when he pulled her out, his perfectly manicured nails gripping locks of her dirty red hair. She beat her wings uselessly, throwing poorly aimed punches into the white-coats abdomen.

Nari shut her eyes so tight that it hurt. She fought against her better instinct to help the little girl. Don't draw attention to yourself. That was the second rule. Duck low. Keep hidden. Turn away. Ignore the screams…

The white-coat fastened his steely fingers around the little bird-kid's upper arm, dragging her carelessly across the cement. She turned her wet green eyes back to Nari, stretching her other arm out as far as she could reach.

"Help!" she screamed, tears pouring freely.

Nari turned away, biting her nails harder into her skin.

"Help me! Help me! Help…"

Her words were cut off as the door slammed shut.

Nari sucked in a shuddering breath, slowly drawing her nails away from her skin. A tiny bead of blood snaked down her fingers, dropping silently to the crate floor where the wood soaked it up. Nari stared at the pink spot numbly, listening to the horrified silence that surrounded her.

The little girls prayers echoed in her head.

_"…send your angels through the night, to keep me safe 'till morning light."_

_"…send your angels through the night…"_

_"…keep me safe…"_

_"…send your angels…"_

_"…angels…"_

Drained, Nari slowly slid down and curled up on the floor of the crate, the slivers of wood pricking her skin.

"Dear Lord," she whispered, brushing away hollow tears, "please look after her. They took her to the white rooms today, and I'd really appreciate it if she came back to me."

Somewhere in the distance, a door slammed, reverberating among the crates.

"Amen."


	2. Chapter One: Project Enhance

A/N: Yay! Chapter One! I know this chapter is a bit slow, but I promise I'll kick up the action once I get through the introductions.

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, though I'm pretty sure I own all my original characters. (ex. Nari, Pan, ect.)

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter One: Project "Enhance"

The heart-rate monitor jumped frantically, etching a thin green line across the screen in a wavering path. Flaring numbers at the bottom of the screen scrolled crazily, tinted with the warning colors of red. Somewhere in the corner of the dark room, a forgotten buzzer hummed quietly.

The green line suddenly fell flat.

A tall white-coat with rapidly thinning gray hair leaned distractedly against the table, making a small note on his clipboard. He glanced up at the small boy with bowl-cut black hair laid out across the metal sheet. The boy's face and arms were covered with sickly green skin, blotched and faded like mold.

He was dead.

"This tallies up to…" the gray haired white-coat counted down a long column of etchings on his paper, "…the fifteenth fatality this week," his eyes flashed humorlessly, "a new record."

The other white-coat in the corner of the room stayed silent, his hand placed thoughtfully across his jaw-line. The shadows at the edges of the room snuffed out as the lights hummed back to life, casting a shimmering veil over the dead boy's face. His flat, white eyes stared vacantly at the ceiling, as if pondering a question that was never meant to be answered.

The silence pressed in harder as the gray haired white-coat slowly began pulling various tubes and needles from the boy's body, tiny drops of blood welling up over the puncture wounds. The white-coat drummed his fingers against the tabletop, peering curiously over his half-moon glasses at his associate in the corner.

"Do you think we're making any progress?"

The man kept quiet, his hand moving thoughtfully across the stubble on his chin.

"Jeb?"

Silence.

"Dr. Batchelder?"

Jeb looked up, as if just noticing the other man and blinked, "No," he said firmly, folding his arms across his chest, "we're not making any progress. None at all. The data confirms it."

He rubbed a hand over his tired face, easily looking ten years older than he really was. "Fifteen," he muttered in disbelief, watching without blinking as the boy's body was dumped down a metal chute and sucked away, "Fifteen experiments. Wasted. Gone. Dead."

The gray haired man smiled half-heartedly, rubbing an antiseptic wipe over the surface of the table, "Chin up. We'll get a breakthrough eventually. Perhaps even another Max. She's always been the favorite in you eye, hasn't she?"

Jeb smiled under his hand, glancing at the ceiling as if recalling a distant memory. In seconds his smile flickered away and he shook his head, "Yeah. She always was my maximum priority," his voice turned gruff as he ripped a paper from his clipboard, "but she's gone now."

"Ari will find her," the gray haired man said confidentially, "he's always pulled through before. After all, your boy's right up there on the top of the scales with Max and the others."

Jeb stayed silent.

Realizing he'd hit a tender spot, the gray-haired man cleared his throat uncomfortably and shuffled through a stack of papers in his hand.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, pulling a single sheet from the mass of type, "Project Enhance! I thought this was abandoned months ago. How 'bout we give it a shot, eh? What say you?"

With a new smile on his face, Jeb peeled off the latex gloves he'd been wearing and threw them in the trash bin, "Sounds good. Perhaps we'll get something from this one."

The gray haired man grinned, "Maybe even another Max, eh?"

Jeb Batchelder laughed, "Sure. Why not?"

* * *

Nari pressed herself back against the crate, the bristles of her feathers digging into her back. The sudden light from the open door made it almost impossible to see them clearly. The white-coats were nothing more than dark blotches in the blinding white.

There were seven of them, and this time…they came armed.

The guns were small, holding a faint resemblance to a long-barreled pistol. A slightly luminescent green capsule was fastened against the top; it's contents swishing hypnotically as the white-coats moved.

Nari gritted her teeth as they began to unlock the crates.

The first crate held a boy several years older than Nari. His face was blotchy and red, like half of it had been burnt in a bad fire. His cinnamon colored wings shivered uncontrollably as the white-coat let his lock clatter to the floor. The white-coat stepped aside, letting the crate door swing open on its own accord.

"Come quietly, and we won't hurt you," the white-coat said, gesturing with his hand. The boy froze for several seconds, his eyes darting between the countless crates lined up on either side of him, to the faces of the white-coats on the outside.

Nari watched, breathless, as the boy slid out of his crate and slowly stood up, his wings shuffling quietly behind him.

"Follow the hall down to the room with the windows. Stay there. Don't give us any trouble," the white-coat that had unlocked his cage said, his voice hard and tense.

The boy hobbled past the on-looking white-coats, his arms wrapped tightly around his chest. Nari watched him walk until the whiteness from the doorway swallowed him up. The white-coats seemed to breathe easier once he was gone.

All together, they spread out across the room, unlocking crates as they went.

The man who opened Nari's crate was smaller than the rest; his hands shook slightly as he slid the key into the padlock. He shoved his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose and set the lock down on the floor, carefully opening the slats.

"Please follow the hall down to the room with the windows," he said in a unsteady voice, gesturing with shaky hand, "Stay there…d-don't give us any trouble."

Nari didn't move. The poorly developed muscles in her legs and arms tensed. The white-coat was so small…she could easily overpower him. One good kick to the chest…he'd go flying like he weighed nothing.

Suddenly and explosion of noise erupted from the far side of the crate room. A younger boy with a clean-shaven head and rusty colored wings burst from his crate. He landed a good punch to one of the white-coats and leaped bodily over several of the wooden boxes, his wings unfurling like a paper snowflake.

There was a small popping sound and the boy fell flat to the floor, his eyes rolling back into his head. Nari watched, horrified, as the white-coat who had fired his gun rolled his shoulders and popped his neck. The unconscious boy twitched unpleasantly on the floor.

"Please…"

Nari snapped her head back to look at the timid white-coat who had unlocked her crate. He was shaking violently now, his glasses slowly sliding off the bridge of his nose.

"Please, follow the hall down to the room with the windows. If…don't give us any t-trouble…or I'll be forced to shoot you."

Nari crouched down as low as she could and slid through the tiny opening in her crate. She stretched her arms out, wishing she could do the same with her wings. The white-coat swiped a hand across his forehead and nodded toward the open doorway, his grip on the gun relaxing.

"Thank you," Nari whispered as she stumbled past him, not realizing the words had left her mouth until she reached the bright doorway.

She squinted against the fierce light, her legs wobbly beneath her. It had been so long since she'd been allowed to walk; her muscles were starved and weak. Not trusting her feet, Nari placed her hand against the plaster wall and glanced down the corridor before her.

Several other bird-kids were carefully picking their way down the hall, their wings stretching and bending in a way they'd never been able to before. Nari swallowed the sandpapery feeling in her throat and followed after them, stretching her own wings high above her head.

It was a feeling that she'd never expected.

Now, with her wings stretched open as far as they would go…she wanted to fly. The slight breeze of air under her feathers as she slowly stepped forward; the urge to just push downward and lift herself into the air. The feeling was almost overwhelming.

Nari reached the room with the windows before she knew it. The room was pale gray in color, and completely circular. Blackened windows stretched all along the walls, curving slightly to fit the bending shape of the room. In the center, a group of bird-kids had gathered, they're bodies pressed tightly together as if to ward off the cold.

Shaken, Nari glanced around at the windows as she slowly made her way to the group in the center. Dark outlines of white-coats could barely be seen behind the black glass, shifting and moving constantly like restless shadows.

_Why were they doing this?

* * *

_

Jeb scribbled a quick note on his clipboard and glanced up to the group of experiments gathered in the testing room. He watched as a smaller girl with dark blonde hair cropped raggedly around her shoulders lifted her gaze to stare straight at him. Her wings rustled as she folded her arms across her chest and shifted from one foot to the other.

Curious, Jeb tapped the shoulder of another white-coat standing next to him. "That girl," he said, nodding to the one staring into the glass, "which one is she?"

"She calls herself Nari Streeter," the white-coat said, "project 67-B9. She's infused with Aquila chrysaetos. Golden Eagle. Why do you ask?"

Jeb shook his head, watching as the door sealed behind the last of the bird-kids. "Just curious," he muttered, turning to address the intercom pounded into the wall.

"Eight-oh-one P.M. Project 'Enhance'. Test one initiation. Begin."

* * *

A girl standing next to Nari screamed, her eyes widening in sheer terror. Nari shot a glance over her shoulder as a flow of men spilled out of a hidden doorway across the room. She stifled a scream of her own as the men's faces began to change, hair sprouting from their skin rapidly.

Dozens of razor-like teeth flashing in the light…


	3. Chapter Two: The Great Escape

A/N: Finally some action! This chapter is not as long as the others, but that's mostly because I got to skip past alot of the indepth descriptions. Still not a whole lot of dialogue, but that's mostly because not all of the characters have come into play yet. Enjoy!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Two: The Great Escape

The men lunged forward in a wave of rippling skin and shifting bones. Their bodies cracked and snapped into place, creating a gut wrenching sound similar to thin ice cracking beneath your feet. Tiny rivulets of blood streamed from where the skin ripped to make room for new muscles; hands were reduced to bloody stumps tipped with razor-like claws.

The girl who had screamed made a beeline toward the door, her under-sized wings fluttering uselessly as the wolf-men closed in. Her scream was cut short as one of the wolves sank his teeth into her shoulder; shaking his head in such a way that her neck cracked and she fell limp.

The group of bird-kids froze, their bodies packed so tightly together that Nari feared the little ones in the center of the circle would suffocate. She plunged her arm into the midst of the group, her gaze still riveted on the wolf-men who had formed a rough circle around the bird-kids.

"Try it again," one of the wolf-men growled, his voice warped and low, inhuman in so many ways, "I just love the sound your bones make when they snap!"

Nari's fingers snatched around behind her until she made contact with skin. Not caring whom she had latched on to, Nari pulled the body out of the mass and hugged it close to her side. She almost let out a cry of relief when she glanced down into the eyes of the red-haired girl that had been in the crate next to her.

The girl looked startled, yanking half-heartedly on Nari's grip.

A red light flared to life near the ceiling, casting haunting shadows across the wolf-men's faces. They jostled and shoved, lashing fangs the size of Nari's fist as they slowly closed in. The little girl's eyes widened and she began to scream loudly.

Nari crouched down to her size, holding the little girl's face between her scarred hands, "Hey," she croaked, her voice breaking from lack of use, "hey, calm down. You'll be okay. What's your name?"

The wolf-men were so close; Nari could feel their hot breath on the back of her neck. A cold sweat broke out over her back as she positioned herself in such a way that the little girl couldn't see the wolf-men's horrible teeth. Right now, in the face of certain death, nothing was more important to Nari than the little girl; her tear streaked face, her gnarled hair and tattered clothes. The siren began to wail louder.

"What's your name," Nari repeated, slower this time, wiping dirty tears from her cheeks. The little girl hiccupped and latched her arms around Nari's neck.

"Pan," she gasped, "my name is Pandora…" her voice melted into a scream.

Nari screwed her eyes shut and waited for the burn of needle-like claws ripping into her back. The wolf-men howled with laughter, their gravelly voices breaking into snarls of excitement.

Nari gasped as a rush of cold air pummeled down from the ceiling. She tilted her head back and found herself staring up into a black sky dotted with stars. Boiling purple storm clouds rolled down from the mountains towering in the distance, lightning spilling from their black depths.

The ceiling had disappeared.

Without hesitation, Nari fastened her arms around Pandora's thin body and let her wings snap free from her back. The cold mountain air rushed under them, soothing her hot prickly skin. Nari pounded downward, feeling her feet lift from the floor. Pandora clung tighter, her scream gaining an extra pitch as they lifted away from the still frozen group of bird-kids on the floor.

One of the wolf-men leaped after her, his heavy claws shredding four thin lines down Nari's calf. Nari kicked at him with her other foot, hardly feeling the burn of her cuts as she rushed into the sky.

Below her, the group of bird-kids had scattered; some scrambling madly at the white walls in an attempt to find a doorway, others spreading their wings and lifting off the floor. The wolf-men's claws dug into their skin, pulling them back to the floor, or ripping them away from the walls.

Nari turned away from the horrible sight, hitching Pandora around her waist and pounding her wings harder. She caught the faint flicker of feathers as several other bird-kids burst free from the building. A swell of hope bloomed in her chest.

They were getting out.

"Look out!" Pandora screamed, unfurling her own wings in panic.

The wolf-man came out of nowhere, dropping down onto Nari's back with the force of a boulder. His fangs snapped next to Pandora's face as he knotted his claws through Nari's hair and yanked back.

"Give up!" he roared, lunging for Nari's exposed throat.

A bolt of white rammed into the wolf-man's side, sending his deformed body spiraling through the air. He snapped open his giant black wings and snarled furiously. Nari let herself drop several feet away before spinning around to watch.

A bird-kid, his pure white wings beating firmly at the wind, spun circles around the wolf-man's head. He was muscular, yet held a thin shape, the tendons standing out in his arms as he snapped a punch at the wolf-man's jaw.

"Come on!" he shouted, pulling back to brush the shaggy white hair from his face, "Is this the best you got?" A streak of black in his hair flopped over his face as he dodged the wolf-man's sweeping claws.

The bird-kid twisted around in the air, folding his wings shut against his back and pounding his feet into the wolf-mans back. He cupped his hands over the wolf-man's ears and pounded down hard.

The wolf-man screamed, his wings falling limply to his sides. In seconds, the evergreen trees below had swallowed his body up.

Nari could feel herself loosing altitude. The muscles in her back burned from the strain of holding up two bodies. She gasped and gave in to gravity, spreading her wings out the widest they would go to slow her fall the best she could.

Evergreen pine needles bit into her arms as she dropped below the tree line. Pandora buried her face against Nari's shoulder to ward off the snapping branches and twisting limbs. Nari fell the last eight feet, her legs giving out beneath her, sending both of them crashing to the forest floor.

Pandora rolled away from Nari's heaving body, scrambling to her hands and knees. Nari sucked in several breaths, the cold air burning her lungs as she hugged her shaking arms closer to herself. The wind around her stirred slightly as the white-winged boy landed softly next to her, his wings folding snuggly against his back.

"You all right?" he asked, crouching to his knees and rubbing his hand across Nari's back. Shaken, Nari nodded, the pine needles cold and spiky against her face, she tilted her head to look up at him. A bulge of suspicion rising in her throat. Freak bird-kids with near-perfect fighting skills didn't drop out of the sky every day. Who was this kid?

"Calm down," he grinned, rocking back on his heels, "the mountain isn't going to run out of air. If you keep sucking it down like that you're going to throw up."

Nari tried to calm her breathing, flinching when Pandora laid her small hand across her forehead. "You're really hot," she said in a small voice, "are you going to be okay?"

"I'm fine," Nari said in what she hoped was a firm voice. Brushing Pandora's hand away, she rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself to her knees. The pine trees tilted crazily as a wave of nausea rolled over her.

The white-haired boy smiled wirily, "Told you."

Nari wiped her mouth and coughed, the taste of bile searing her throat.

The white-haired boy stood up, needles cracking beneath his sneakers, "What's your name kid? How old are you?" he asked, extending a hand.

Nari swallowed hard, "Nari Streeter," she coughed, grudgingly letting him help her to his feet, "I'm fourteen and a half."

"Fourteen, huh? Three years younger than me," he brushed a strand of hair out of her face and grinned, revealing a pair of sharp fangs jutting down from his gums, "You can call me Wolf."


	4. Chapter Three: Refugee Angels

A/N: So...not the most exciting chapter, yet necessary. I promise i'll make up for it in the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Three: Refugee Angels

The lab was in total chaos. White-coats scattered around the too-small observation deck, their faces pallid and white. Several groups of wolf-men, some still in half morph, spotted the floor; their faces twisted with rage and disappointment. The helicopter pad where the group of bird kids had been standing moments before was empty, the only existence of a struggle being the blood stains on the pure white walls.

"I don't understand," a tall white-coat with thin lips growled, his fingers flying over a keypad in search of an answer, "this helicopter pad has been condemned for weeks. The landing operative shouldn't even be functional."

A bulky wolf-man shoved his way to the front of the gathered group, his mouth still bulging with fangs, "What happened!"

The tall white-coat's face flushed, his fingers shaking over the keyboard, "Someone activated the landing pad. They opened the ceiling hatch and put the entire operation on lockdown. We had no choice but to let the hatch open!"

The wolf-man curled his hairy fingers into tight fists, his claws biting into the palm of his hand, "Who did this?" he growled, his dark eyes flashing across the white-coat's faces. A blanket of silence settled over the room.

"I said," the wolf-man snarled, his voice dangerously low, "who. Did. This."

At the far end of the observation deck, an elevator door slid open, and Jeb Batchelder slid inside, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

* * *

"Wolf?"

Nari drew Pandora in closer to her side, laying a protective arm across her skinny shoulders, "What kind of name is that?"

Wolf shrugged, "What kind of name is Nari? I made it up. Just like you."

A sliver of brilliant lighting shot across the sky, followed by an ear-shattering blast of thunder. In the brief flash of light, Nari could just barely make out the shaggy outlines of three wolf-men rushing through the evergreens, their backs hunched by the sheer weight of their own bodies.

"Damn," Wolf growled, baring his own fangs and turning to face the onslaught, "Erasers really do make me itch." He tensed, as if preparing to take off, and then hesitated, turning back around to face Nari.

A slick grin slid across his pale face and he winked, "Stay here, love. I'll be back in a second."

Pandora's grip around Nari's waist tightened as Wolf spread his wings and took off, the ground below him swirling with stirred up pine needles. Nari hitched Pandora onto her waist and backed into a part of the forest behind her where the trees were thicker. She pressed herself against a gnarled tree trunk and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the brush of needles on her face.

Another bolt of lightning split the sky and rain began to fall in sheets, soaking them in seconds.

"Pandora, huh?" Nari said through clenched teeth, trying to take the little girl's mind off of the recent events, "that's a pretty name…where'd you hear it from?"

Pandora shrugged, "My twin sister, Natalie, she gave it to me," her tiny fists tightened around Nari's neck, "did you see her? My sister…she looks a lot like me, only her wings are darker…her hairs longer, too. I didn't see her…"

Nari chewed thoughtfully on her lip. So Pandora wasn't the girl that had been in the crate next to her. It must have been Natalie. They did look a lot alike, but now that she looked closer, Pandora's wings were more of a mousy brown and her hair was chopped off raggedly around her shoulders.

"I hope she's okay," Pandora muttered, burying her face into Nari's shirt.

"She'll be fine," Nari said reassuringly. She didn't have the heart to tell the little girl that her sister was probably dead by now. The white-coats had taken Natalie days before they'd come back for the other bird-kids; it was highly unlikely that she had survived.

The branches above them cracked and shook, raining green needles around their shoulders. Wolf dropped from the sky like a snowflake from the storm, his hair plastered against the back of his neck and forehead. A smear of watered-down blood curled up from the side of his mouth like a sinister grin.

"Miss me?" he shouted over the din of the storm, extending his hand like a gentlemen asking a lady for a dance instead of a freak bird-kid helping another freak bird-kid from an impossible tangle of evergreen pine braches. Nari struggled through the mess, the branches tearing at her clothes like tiny hands.

Wolf shouted something she didn't catch, his voice drowned out by another roll of bone-rattling thunder.

"What?" Nari shouted.

Wolf grinned, sliding an arm around Nari's waist and pulling her closer. "We've got to get out of the storm," he whispered, his breathe hot against her neck. Nari tensed, uncomfortable with his closeness.

"Where can we go?"

Still grinning, Wolf pulled back, his wings flaring out on either side of him. "You feel up for flying?" he asked, the wind tearing at his feathers.

Nari frowned, glancing nervously at Pandora. The little girl smiled and slid down from her hip, still keeping a tight grip on her hand, "I can fly," she said confidently, unfurling her smaller set of wings.

It was harder to fly with all the wind. Plums of cold air pummeled Nari from all sides, tossing her around the storm like a leaf in a rain gutter. The forest below seemed never-ending. A vast ocean of green and black, roaring its ugly head as if to snatch them up.

Stubbornly, Nari pounded her wings against the gale, Wolf's white feathers above her guiding through the darkness. Pandora straggled behind them, her smaller body more maneuverable in the strong winds. Just when it seemed like the laborious flight would never end, Wolf banked into a tight spiral against a cliff-face, catching himself perfectly on an outcropping of rock.

Silently grateful for the flight to end, Nari cropped her wings in a way she hoped would set her lightly down on the outcropping. The cliff-face came up way too fast, her feet pounding down on the rock in a not-so-graceful landing that sent her to her knees. A shot of hot pain lanced up her calf, making her suck in a sharp breath.

Her pant leg was soaking with dark blood.

Pandora managed a rather shaky landing, her face a mask of worry as Nari staggered to her feet. Wolf glanced back at them, eyeing Nari's leg curiously.

"I'm fine," Nari said curtly, folding her steaming wings against her back.

"Sure," Wolf muttered, stepping closer to her and opening his arms.

"What are you…" Nari felt her voice trail off, the pain in her leg throbbed like a set of drums. Wolf's arms rushed up to meet her and in seconds the world went black.

* * *

When Nari opened her eyes she was met with absolute dark.

A steady pulse vibrated behind her temples, reminding her of a nail being driven into her skull. Her entire leg had gone numb, causing her stomach to boil unpleasantly. She could still hear the distant pounding of the rain against rocks and treetops.

Her vision slowly shifted into focus, revealing the stony ceiling of a sandstone cave lit by an open fire shoved up next to the wall. Pandora's small body rocked back and forth next to the flame, her eyes fixated on the shadows cast by the fire. She glanced up when Nari stirred, a wide grin splitting across her starved face.

A cold hand traced its way up Nari's exposed leg, making her jump and try to pull back. Wolf locked his steely hand around her ankle, "Hold still!" he ordered, his voice muffled as he spoke around the needle clamped between his teeth.

Nari took a shuddering breath and looked down at her calf. The pant leg had been rolled up to reveal four jagged lines carved red against her skin. Three of the gashes had all ready been sewed up with thick black line, the skin knotted and bruised around the stitches.

"Where'd you learn that?" Nari asked through clenched teeth.

Wolf shrugged, tying another line of black thread through the needle. "I guess you could describe it as a higher calling," he said casually, plunging the needle back into Nari's numb leg.

Nari's stomach rolled and she forced herself to look away, "Higher calling?"

"Yeah," Wolf muttered, running his slightly bloodstained fingers through his hair, "you know…for the mission and all that jazz."

"What mission?"

Wolf glanced up, his lips pulled back over his fangs in an excited smirk, "The mission to help Maximum Ride save the world."


	5. Chapter Four: The Lake

A/N: Here's some action to make up for the boringness of Chapter Three. Anyway, this might be my last post until a few days. T'marrow's Monday and I gotta go back to school for a bit. I know...sigh. Enjoy!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Four: The Lake

Nari stared at Wolf dumbly, her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. Wolf snapped the black thread with his teeth and rolled down her pant leg, grinning like a fool, "All done. The stitches should hold until the wounds all healed up. Give it three days and you'll be good as new!"

"What's Maximum Ride?" Nari blurted, curling her legs up to her chest.

Wolf rocked back on his heels, sliding the needle into his shirt pocket, "Maximum Ride is…she's…well, she's a hero."

Pandora crept over to where the two of them were sitting, her hair still matted for the storm, "What kind of hero?"

Wolf leaped to his feet, the wind from the mouth of the cave rustling his feathers, "The best kind," he said, pacing across the sandstone walls, "she's the bravest, strongest, most amazing kind of hero there is. She's beyond hero…Maximum Ride is a God."

Nari let Pandora wiggle into her arms, a sliver of impatience burying itself under her tongue, "What makes her so great?"

"Where do I start?" Wolf exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air, his face glowing with excitement, "you see, the School where I came from, the one in Death Valley, the one where Max is from, she escaped years ago. Single-handedly. Beat billions of Erasers into the ground on her way out…and she was just a kid then!"

Nari rubbed her fingers across her leg, which was slowly loosing its numbness. Maximum Ride. Sounded like a freak-bird-kid name. Erasers…must have been the wolf-men. Nari shifted Pandora onto her lap. There was no way a little kid could break out of the labs _and_ take on Erasers without suffering fatal injuries.

Wolf was exaggerating.

"Just a few weeks ago," Wolf continued, "she came back. Busted up some more Eraser heads, snapped a few white-coat necks, and offered enough of a distraction for a bunch of us to just waltz out of there. _I owe her everything_. My freedom, my strength…my life. Without Max, I would be just another dead experiment."

The storm outside quieted down, the rain falling in more of a lazy drizzle now. The sky was still pitch black, all the stared blotted out by thin wispy clouds. A strange fog had settled over the treetops, bringing a slight chill with it.

"Where is she?" Nari asked, shivering as her still-wet clothes clung to her.

Wolf shrugged, "I hauled ass out of Death Valley. Didn't even get a chance to thank her. It's strange, really, I owe my life to a girl that doesn't even know I exist." He spun around on his heels, steely determination glinting in his eyes, "But I'm gonna find her. Find her and help her. When Maximum Ride saves the world, I want to be right there beside her, punching in Eraser bones."

"Sounds unreal," Nari mused, running her fingers through Pandora's hair.

"I know," Wolf exclaimed, "she's amazing…"

"No," Nari interrupted, letting Pandora slide off her lap as she hauled herself to her feet, "it sounds fake. A legend. Made up to give hope to freak kids trapped dog crates."

Wolf folded his arms across his chest, his gray eyes turning slightly cold, "She's real," he said confidentially, "and if you had the guts to take on a challenge. You'd come with me, and help me find her. Help her save the world."

Nari shook her head, stretching her sore muscles, "I don't want to save the world. What has the world ever done for me? Locked me in a crate? Stuck needles in my skin? Infused freak bird-wings on my back?" she sighed, rubbing a hand across her face, "forget it. I just want to squat down in some abandoned building, and live out the rest of my days."

"Which won't be very long," Wolf said darkly.

Pandora's hand tightened around Nari's fingers, her eyes widening in fear, "What?" she asked her small voice, a frown tugging at her lips.

Wolf leaned back against the sandstone, "the School is going to end the world. Max is going to need all the help she can get to save it. If you just sit around twiddling your thumbs waiting for someone else to take action…you're more of a coward than I thought."

Nari felt a needle of anger stick in her throat, she bit back several remarks, gnawing carefully on her lip, "I'm no coward," she growled, "and neither are you…but you are a fool. To place your hopes in some…Maximum Ride. You're the one throwing your life away, not me."

Wolf opened his mouth to respond, his lips peeled back over his fangs, but his voice was cut short, interrupted by a gravely snarl from the mouth of the cave.

Nari spun to face the thick bodies of four Erasers blocking the cave entrance, a hot sweat prickling on her forehead. Her and Wolf had been so busy arguing, they hadn't even heard the monsters sneak up.

"Well, well," one of the Eraser's crooned, his face twisted in half-morph, "I didn't think it would be a difficult job…rounding all you freaks up…but I had no idea it was going to be this easy."

"Bite me," Wolf snarled, falling into a defensive crouch.

"With pleasure," the Eraser barked, leaping forward with his jaw gaping open.

Wolf leaned back on the palms of his hands and rocked back, slamming his foot against the Eraser's thick jaw. Nari flinched as the bone cracked, the Eraser's jaw twisting to one side in a permanent scream.

"Get back!" Nari shouted, shoving Pandora farther back into the cave, her blood still boiling at being called a coward. She didn't live through fourteen years of torture just to be hauled back into the School on the shoulder of a malformed beast. The three other Erasers surged forward as their broken-jawed comrade crashed to the cave floor.

"Aim for the ears," Wolf said curtly curling his hands into tight fists and throwing himself forward with one beat of his wings.

Nari darted for the smallest Eraser, the blood roaring in her ears with the sheer insanity of throwing herself at the claws of a monster.

The Eraser ducked her first punch, swiping his claws toward her neck, the razor points just missing her skin. Nari jumped back, realizing that she was smaller and more agile than the thick-bodied Eraser. She had to rely on speed rather than force.

She darted up against the cave wall, spreading her wings and bouncing over the Eraser's head with one beat. She landed directly behind him, spinning swiftly and driving a kick to his back. It was like kicking a rock wall.

The Eraser stumbled, but regained balance easily, turning to face her once again. "Birds belong in cages!" he roared, swiping forward again.

"But human's don't!" Nari retorted, dodging and cupping her hands the way she'd seen Wolf do in the forest. She slapped her hands over the Eraser's fuzzy ears and flinched as he howled and spun away.

Nari twisted around to look at Wolf.

He smirked and landed another punch to an Eraser's muzzle, watching with pleasure as the Eraser spun to the floor.

"Go!" Wolf shouted, sprinting to the mouth of the cave.

Pandora's small body darted past Nari, immediately throwing open her mousy wings and darting into the sky. Wolf gestured with his hand, "Ladies first," he grinned, all traces of the hostility gone from his pale face.

Nari gritted her teeth as she rushed past, her stomach lurching as she dropped several feet before her wings gained purchase. The cold wind bit at her face as she spiraled into the sky, pulling up next to Pandora against the clouds.

Wolf shot up next to them, his knuckles bleeding from small scrapes in his skin. "We've got to scat," he shouted, tucking into a tight spiral so they could talk, "backup will be swarming all over this place in seconds…" he trailed off, a disgusted smirk spreading across his face, "well look at that. They picked up quicker than I thought."

Nari flipped around to look at the black dots spread across the horizon.

"Follow me," Wolf grinned, angling his wings against the wind.

Nari felt a bubble of adrenaline spike under her ribcage as she caught the airwaves under her feathers. The wind pushed her forward, propelling her across the sky faster than she's ever gone before. The wind tore at her hair, whipping it across her face so hard she was certain it would leave welts. From the corner of her eye, she could just barely make out Pandora's wave of red hair lashing in the wind.

Wolf pulled up higher, the wispy clouds swallowing him up.

Nari pumped her wings harder, the clouds soaked her hair and face, tiny droplets of water spiraled from her feathers as she flew faster. Wolf was nowhere to be seen. The hairs of the back of her neck stood on end as Nari flicked around. Her eyes scanned the fog pressing in from all around her.

Pandora was missing.

"Pan!" Nari shouted, her voice muted by the fog. There was no response. Panic fluttered in Nari's chest as she circled around inside the clouds, goosebumps pricking her skin. "Pan!"

There was nothing.

"Pandora!"

Wolf surged up from below her, a large scrape cutting across his cheek. "Erasers," he growled, spitting blood, "they snagged us from below. Where's Pandora?"

"She's not with you?" Nari whispered, hysteria tinting her voice.

Wolf's gray eyes flashed, "I thought she was with you!"

Nari gritted her teeth and snapped her wings tightly against her back, letting her body freefall. Wolf's surprised face flashed by her, his hand snatching at the air where she had been moments before. The clouds vanished in seconds, opening up to reveal a massive body of water. Nari banked, circling as close to the water as she dared.

The boiling black waves snapped at her ankles, demonic eyes staring up from below the water like pits of blackness. Nari hesitated, her eyes scanning the black crests of the waves. Wolf swooped down from above her, his hands clenched into fists.

"Are you crazy," he snapped, balking next to her, "do you have any idea how easy it will be for them to spot us from here?"

From the corner of her eye, Nari caught a strand of red flashing against the waves. Her stomach rolled as her sight narrowed to that single bit of red amongst the endless black.

Pandora's pale face rolled momentarily to the surface of the water, her forehead smeared with pinkish blood, her bright green eyes closed. Her lips parted for a split seconds before the waves sucked her back under, the water around her tinted with red.


	6. Chapter Five: The Undertaking

A/N: Ha! Okay I lied, couldn't resist updating so soon. _Now_ it might take me a few days to update, and I'm not lying this time! Anyway, drum roll. Let's welcome a new character! Enjoy!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Five: The Undertaking

The waves churned beneath Nari's feet, black streaked through with highlights of silver. The rain had stopped altogether, leaving the sky streaming with waterfalls of fog. Nari scanned the crests frantically, the muscles in her shoulders screaming from forcing herself to hover for so long.

Pandora didn't resurface.

Nari sucked in a huge breath, bracing herself for the slap of cold water.

Wolf darted under her, flaring his wings open and forcing her higher into the sky, away from her goal under the black waves. "What do you think you're doing?" he snapped, flaring his soaking wings again.

Nari tried to dodge around him, trimming her wings closer to her sides, "She's going to drown!"

Wolf grimaced, lunging upward and slamming bodily into Nari's side. He wrapped his arms around her waist, smashing her wings against his chest. He beat at the wind, pushing both of them away from the lake.

"Pan!" Nari screamed, digging her nails into Wolf's cold arms.

"She's gone," Wolf growled in her ear, flying for both of them into the clouds, "let it go. She's gone."

An icy needle pricked behind Nari's chest, filling her eyes with bitter tears. She pounded heedlessly against Wolf's grip, "She's not dead! Let me go! I have to save her…" her screams trailed off, dying hopelessly in her throat. Nari felt her tensed muscles slacken, slowly turning numb.

The ground rushed up to meet them, the evergreens capped with a crown of fog. Wolf landed lightly on his feet, releasing Nari and rubbing his arms where her nail marks were turning a faint red.

Nari pressed her back against a tree, slowly sliding down to the forest floor. Pan was dead. Gone. Dead. Killed. Murdered…

She wrapped her arms around her chest, feeling the empty place where Pan had clung her as they lifted free from the School. Wolf stood silently several feet away from her, his chest heaving from the effort of having to carry both of them. Nari choked back a sob as his gray eyes locked onto hers.

"I didn't even know her," she said hollowly, a wave of hopelessness tightening around her throat. Pandora. She'd been the only thing Nari had that was familiar. In the moments where it seemed like the entire world was going to end, Pandora had been the only thing that mattered.

"Then why," Wolf panted, collapsing to his knees next to her, "was she so important?"

Nari pressed her forehead into her knees, feeling the cold droplets in the air rush up her nose and mouth as she took a deep breath. "I thought," she started, tearing at a patch of grass next to her foot, "…I _thought…_that if I could save…just one. Maybe…"

"You'd make a difference?" Wolf finished quietly.

A twig snapped in the darkness, tearing Nari from her numbness.

Wolf tensed next to her, his eyes scanning the dark trees, a low growl building in his chest. Nari could hear the low mumble of fury lying dormant behind her breastbone, ready to break free at the first sign of an Eraser. Ready to take revenge for Pandora's death.

A dark shape flashed by them, Wolf leaped forward like a white arrow, ramming his head into the shape's abdomen, sending both of them crashing to the ground. Nari rushed to her feet, leaping to Wolf's side in a heartbeat, the blood pounding in her ears. She pulled back her fist, ready to smash in the face of the intruder.

"Wait!"

She stopped herself just in time, twisting slightly so her punch slammed harmlessly into the dirt floor next to the intruder's head.

He looked to be a few months older than Nari, his dark blue eyes wide with fear as he tugged at Wolf's hand around his throat. A patch of dark blood matted one side of his jet-black hair, the red stain stretching down to his neck to reveal a large gash on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he blurted, trying to gain purchase on the cold ground with his bare and bloodied feet, "I didn't know you were here! I'll leave, I will! Just let me go!"

"Bastard," Wolf snarled, rolling away from the boy's trembling body.

The intruder scrambled to his knees, leaving a smear of blood against the pine needles on the forest floor. His eyes were dilated and bloodshot, his chest heaving unevenly as he rubbed his throat.

Nari crouched on the pads of her feet, taking deep breaths to calm the adrenaline that had worked its way into her blood. "Who are you?" she snapped, hoping to look intimidating in the half-light of the forest.

"My name is Nickoli," he stuttered, his eyes darting over the wings on her back, "y-you're…like me, too?"

Nari almost smiled as she watched Nickoli unfold the dark wings overlapping his back. More had escaped than she'd hoped; and they were going to make it. They were going to live.

Wolf sidled closer to Nari, his eyes cold as he looked over Nickoli's matted wound and torn clothes, "We should go," he said low enough that only Nari could hear.

"Wait…" Nickoli whispered, slowly pulling himself to his feet, "…let me come with you. Please."

Wolf growled, his iron fingers latching around Nari's shoulder, "Just us," he spat.

Nickoli bowed his head, shivering slightly in his thin shirt, "Please," he repeated, "please…let me come with you. I can't…look; they're going to kill me. I don't know where to go," he glanced at Nari, his eyes pleading, "…please."

Nari stared at him, frozen on her feet. Wolf's grip tightened on her shoulder, his touch hot against her cold skin. "Wolf…" she started, running a hand through her hair.

"_No!_" Wolf snarled, "No more! The more we take in. The bigger a target we are."

Nari shook off his hand, cautiously extending her hand to Nickoli on the ground. His face melted into a relieved smile as his fingers slid into hers.

"Pan's gone," Nari said flatly, ignoring the prick of sadness that came with the words, "now…we're back to three." She dropped Nickoli's hand, turning to face Wolf instead. She twisted the edge of her shirt through her fingers nervously, wondering how he'd react, "Please?"

Wolf's gray eyes switched back and forth between Nickoli and Nari, his fists clenching and unclenching in a steady pattern. "Fine," he said through clenched teeth.

Nari smiled, relief flooding through her, "Thank you."

The anger washed from Wolf's face and in seconds he was grinning from ear to ear. "You said 'we'," he laughed, raising his hand and traced Nari's jaw line with the tip of his finger, "does that mean you're coming with? You'll help me find Max?"

Nari shivered at his touch, hoping she hadn't given him the wrong idea. "Yeah. If Nickoli comes too," she glanced at Nickoli beside her, eyeing the gash on his shoulder.

"Don't worry," Nickoli said quickly, tugging the edge of his shirt over the cut, "I'm fine. I fly fine. I can keep up, I promise."

Wolf smirked, dropping his hand from Nari's face and unfurling his wings, "We'll see." He took off in a single bound, his wide wings perfect for standing takeoffs. Nari glanced back to Nickoli and he gave her a nervous smile, running a few feet before lifting off into the air himself.

Nari hesitated, her gaze lingering over the sparkling edge of the lake between the tree trunks. "Pandora," she whispered, "I promise…I promise you'll be okay. I'll make everything okay…just for you."

The wind rushed under her wings as she leaped into the sky. Wolf and Nickoli were high above her, circling each other warily. Wolf pure white. Nickoli pitch black. Nari soared up to meet them, her clothes crusty and stiff from the salt of the lake's spray.

"Where do we go?" she asked, just as the sun broke over the horizon.

"New York," Wolf said confidently, "we go to New York."


	7. Chapter Six: The Sunny Day Inn

A/N: This is more of a touchy-feely chapter. I just felt like I needed to expand more on Wolf's personalilty toward Nari. Next chapter you'll start noticing some landmarks from the original book! Yojne!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Six: The Sunny Day Inn

Wolf tugged a fleece jacket over his shoulder, his wings hidden perfectly in the thick fabric. He ran a hand through his hair to work out some of the knots from the wind and flashed Nari a grin, "How do I look?"

"Normal," Nari mused, crouching down behind a thick tree trunk, "how long are you going to be?"

Wolf shrugged, thumbing through a wad of bills he'd pulled from his pocket, "It shouldn't take too long. What size shoe do you wear?"

Nari chewed at her lip, "I don't know. Just get what you think fits."

"Right," Wolf hesitated, a smile tugging at his lips, "do you need, like…a, uh, bra? Or something?"

Nari ducked her head to hide the blush creeping up her neck, "I'm fine," she said curtly. Wolf laughed and leaped down from the knoll they had landed at. Despite Nari's nervousness about being around people, Wolf had insisted they pick up new clothes. A low security mega-chain store with a thousand screaming kids seemed to be a good place to start.

"What?" Nari asked, noticing Nickoli glancing in her direction.

"Nothing," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Nari sighed, "No really. What?"

He didn't respond for several seconds, and then shrugged, not making eye contact with her. "Wolf…" Nickoli started, his fingers fluttering nervously, "…he seems very…never mind."

The long flight from the mountains to New York's suburbs had left Nari feeling slightly lightheaded. The bubbly adrenaline in her chest still hadn't faded completely.

She laughed and sat down next to him, "Just say it."

Nickoli smiled shyly, "Well, he's very…intimate, you know? Comfortable. With you…I mean."

Nari gnawed at her fingernails, "I don't want to give him the wrong idea," she sighed, "I don't think of him…that way. I guess he kind of saved my life. I'm grateful…but not _that_ grateful."

Nickoli stared at her, his dark blue eyes warm around the edges, "How did you meet him anyway?"

Nari leaned back to look at the stars above her, watching them wink and shine. She shrugged, folding her wings out just to prove herself that she could. No more tight crates. No more cages, or bars, or needles. Just…space.

"I just kind of…bumped into him," she twisted the edge of her shirt between her fingers, "he dropped out of the sky, literally, and saved me and Pan…" she trailed off, wondering why she was bothering talking to Nickoli. Half of the reason she had wanted him to come was so she wouldn't be completely alone with Wolf.

Nickoli was just the shy tagalong. He had hardly said a word throughout the entire day as they flew over the Great Plains, riding the airwaves like origami jets. He was just…silent. Whenever he did speak it was hardly more than a quip. An apology. Or an agreement. A slight nod here and there.

"What about you?" Nari asked, curiosity winning over her embarrassment in asking a complete stranger a personal question, "Where did you come from?"

Nickoli shook his head, promptly sticking a finger between his teeth to chew at the nail nervously, "Same story as you. Just…a freak from the School."

"Come on," Nari pushed, knowing that if she wanted her and Nickoli to get along, she would have to be more open with him, "there's got to be more than…"

Their talk was cut short as Wolf bounded up the hill, a bulging plastic bag tucked under each arm. "They had a sale," he grinned, handing one of the bags to Nari, "got you a jacket too." He tossed the other bag at Nickoli's feet, the cheeriness disappearing from his voice, "jackets didn't come in your size. Hope you don't mind."

Nickoli shook his head silently, carefully pulling a black T-shirt over his head from the open bag.

Nari dumped the bags contents onto the ground, picking through the clothes curiously. All her life she'd dressed in what seemed like drab leftover hospital scrubs. The once-white cloth stained with sickening patches of dried blood and bleach.

She pulled out pair of factory faded jeans looped through with a studded belt and a pair of quality black boots, the buckles sparkling in the light cast off from the store's windows. She glanced around behind her shoulder, spotting a group of oaks spotted with bushes against their trunks.

"I'm getting dressed behind those trees," she warned, shoving the clothes back into the sack, "be back in a second."

"You sure?" Wolf called after her, "you can get dressed here if you want! I won't look, I promise!"

Nari ignored him, slipping behind the trees and tossing her old shirt to the ground. She tugged on the red V-cut tank-top Wolf had bought her and shrugged the jacket on over it. The boots felt stiff compared to her old shoes that had been molded to the shape of her feet. She frowned, tugging at the collar of the V-neck self-consciously, wondering if Wolf had bought a tank-top with such a low neck on purpose.

She bounced back to where the other two were standing, glad to be rid of her old clothes. "Let's go," she chirped, trying to look as grateful as possible for the wardrobe Wolf had chosen.

Grinning, Wolf caught her wrist as she spread her wings, tugging her back to the ground, "We've gone far enough for today. There's a hotel just down the street, we'll stay there for the night."

Nari froze, goosebumps springing out across her arms, "A hotel? You mean…with people?"

"Yeah," Wolf shrugged.

Nari eyed him suspiciously, "Lots of people?"

"Come _on_, Streeter," Wolf sighed, faking impatience with a smile on his face, "let's unwind for one night, okay? The world isn't going to end any time soon, Max will still need help in the morning."

Nari glanced at the sidewalk on the other side of the trees; a couple was waltzing toward them, their fingers looped together in a loose sign of affection. They were normal. They were _human._ She glanced down at the tops of her new boots. What was she? A freak? An oddity?

"Hey," Wolf whispered, his face suddenly inches from hers, "just one night, okay? A soft bed, a warm shower, some hot food…I know you can't say 'no' to _that._"

Nari hesitated, glancing over at Nickoli who looked equally frozen. She bit her lip, feeling a faint tint of blood on her tongue, "Um…okay. Just one night though."

Wolf spun around on his heels, stepping securely onto the sidewalk, "Right. One night. We'll sleep in condemned buildings and sewer holes after this if it makes you feel any better."

* * *

Wolf dropped the hotel room key on the dresser next to the door when they walked in. He wrapped his arm around Nari's shoulder, which was still shaking from the encounter with the Land Lord's daughter. She had strolled casually by them on their way to the room, flashed Nari a perfectly human smile and said she liked her shoes.

Nari, being a mutant hybrid isolated from human contact for the better part of her life, only managed a wiry smile before practically running through the hotel door.

"Ah!" Wolf sighed, steering Nari to the side of the bed, "the sweet smell of cheap bed sheets and mini shampoo bottles. Makes you feel all warm inside doesn't it?"

Nari groaned and flopped down on the bed, holding her fingers up to the light to examine how much they were shaking.

Wolf hitched his hands on his hips and turned around to sweep the room, his eyes bright and playful. "We got a T.V., a mini bar, microwave, toilet, shower…oh," he frowned, turning to face Nickoli who was still standing in the doorway, "only one bed. You don't mind sleeping on the couch, right?"

Nickoli shook his head, shuffling over to the couch and shaking his wings out from under his shirt. Nari folded her legs under her and leaned back against the headboard of the bed, noticing how out-of-place Nickoli looked on the couch. His dark wings hanging over the side as he spread his arms along the backrest.

A thought suddenly dawned on her.

"One bed?" Nari asked, scanning the room for any sign of another type of mattress. She glanced at Wolf, swinging her legs off the bed, "You can have it, I'll sleep on the floor…"

Wolf pushed her gently back down on the bed, a smile playing across his lips, "Wouldn't dream of it. What kind of gentleman would I be? Letting the lady sleep on the floor, the very thought of it make me itch!"

Nari twisted the bed sheet in her finger, suspicion rising in her throat, "…but, there's no other mattresses…where will you sleep?"

Wolf rubbed his chin in mock ponder, "Hmm. You're right. There _isn't_ another mattress. I could sleep on the floor…but it's so cold and dusty down there." Grinning, Wolf sprawled himself across the bed next to Nari, "We'll just have to sleep together."

Nari gritted her teeth, the hairs on the back of her neck rising at the thought, "Um…okaaay? I guess that works…too."

Wolf sat back up, stretching his arm out and rubbing his thumb across her jaw line, "Just for tonight, kay? Tomorrow, we head for the Big Apple. Max will be so happy to see us."

"Yeah," Nari mumbled, letting him slid his arm around her shoulder. From across the room, Nickoli watched with his dark eyes. The question written across his quiet face was clear:

_Don't you think…that's a little too comfortable?_


	8. Chapter Seven: New York Public Library

A/N: Whoo! Look at me go! Seven chapters in less than seven days! I hope you people appreciate my bloody fingers, after this is over, I'll be out of movitation for a year at least! Any-who, now you start seeing landmarks from the Original books. Most have been taken from The Angel Experiment, though I'm thinking about throwing in several from Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports. And now I'm just rambling, so please ENJOY!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Seven: New York Public Library

_Wolf was soaring effortlessly across a backdrop of smoky clouds. The rain was falling all around him, soaking into his shirt and hair. The clouds below him opened up to reveal a lake brimming with glassy black water. _

_Pandora's mousy wings could be seen just above the surface._

_She looked terrified. Wringing her damp shirt in her tiny fists, her wings pumping furiously to keep her small body above the water. She twisted her head from side to side, scanning the clouds for some sign of life. _

_Wolf smiled, a sickly smile, spreading across his face like oil spilt over blacktop. He tilted his wings slightly, practically floating down to where Pandora was hovering. She smiled nervously as he flew up, the terror disappearing from her face._

"_I got lost," she called, rising higher into the air to meet him._

"_I found you," Wolf whispered, circling around her, his eyes scanning the sky calmly. Pandora banked lower to the water, confusion filling her innocent eyes. _

"_Wolf?"_

"_I found you," he whispered again, turning his gray eyes to her. He smiled angelically, opening his arms wide, "Come here," he breathed, "you're tired. I can fly for both of us."_

The image blurred. Wolf's smiling face distorting like a picture thrown into a fire. Nari shifted in her sleep, sweat snaking down her face as she tugged the sheet over her chin. The clock on the wall snapped in a steady rhythm. The only sound in the absolute silence.

_A girl was standing in front of a tall building. Her windbreaker clinging purposefully across her back, even though the sun was shining brightly. A tall boy with vacant eyes stepped forward, his lips moving, but no sound coming out. The girl said something back, jerking her thumb in the direction of the building before starting up the steps. Five blurred figures following after her. _

_The sign on the lawn read New York Public Library of Humanities and Social Sciences. The image flickered, and went black.

* * *

_

"Hey."

Nari groaned, rolling over on the bed and burying her face in the pillow, the last strands of her dream still clinging to the edge of her vision.

"Nari?"

She flinched, feeling a warm hand shake her shoulder gently. The hotel room lurched suddenly into focus, crashing through the quietness of her dream like an earthquake. Nickoli's face hovered over her, his brow knotted with concern.

"Are you okay?"

Nari propped herself up on her elbow, running a hand across her sweaty face. Wolf stirred next to her, his wings shifting softly across his back as he slept.

"You were dreaming," Nickoli whispered, crouching next to the bed, "you…looked scared. I shouldn't have woken you up, I'm sorry."

Nari shook her head, the dream still bugging at the back of her mind. She curled her legs up to her chest and pressed her forehead against her knees, a headache slowly uncoiling behind her eyes. "No, I'm glad you did. What time is it?"

Nickoli glanced at the clock on the wall, "Four in the morning."

He stood up, shoving his hands deep into his pockets and shuffling back over to the couch. The television was on, the news reporters face distorted and green, her lips moving yet the sound was on mute.

Nari slid her legs out from under the sheets, careful not to disturb Wolf next to her. She folded her arms across her chest to keep in what little warmth was leftover from the bed, self-consciously sitting down next to Nickoli on the couch.

"What are you doing up anyway," she asked, picking at the edge of her pocket.

Nickoli shrugged, his face bathed in the green light from the television, "I don't think I've slept through an entire night since I was nine. I've been up since twelve-thirty."

Nari brought her feet up to sit cross-legged on the couch, wiggling her toes in the slight breeze from the window. They sat in silence, watching the news reporter's mouth move with no sound coming out. After several minutes, the news broadcast ended, and a flashy commercial about hair growth blinked onto the screen.

"I'm going to shower," Nari announced, pulling herself to her feet, "hey, if Wolf asks…don't tell him about the dreaming, okay?"

Nickoli nodded, not even asking for a reason to keep her secret.

The water was scalding hot as it washed over Nari's shoulders. She scrubbed her head with vigor, hardly remembering the last time she'd felt this clean. The bathroom mirror was fogged over when she got out, blurring her face like a ghost.

She wiped her hand across the glass, slowly taking in her own image. Small shadows wormed their way under her slightly bloodshot eyes, her hair piled in a wet tangled mess on top of her head. Nari fished out a comb from the drawer and fought through the knots, the nervousness that the dream had brought washing away.

Nickoli was standing next to the window when she came out. The corner of his collar pulled down to examine the pink scar on his shoulder. He smiled when she came in, straightening himself and rustling his wings comfortably.

"That was so worth it," Nari sighed, tying her hair back into a ponytail with the rubber band she'd found wrapped around the bathroom door handle. The bed was empty; the sheets lumped up against the headboard.

"Where's Wolf?" Nari asked, tossing the hairbrush onto the bed.

"He went to go check out," Nickoli shrugged, "didn't even ask where you were. He seemed a bit…" Nickoli stared at the ceiling, fishing around for the right word, "…spacey. Like he wasn't all here."

"Hmm," Nari mumbled, stretching herself out across the bed and spreading her wings open to let them dry. Seconds later, Wolf hobbled back into the room, his nose buried in a Guide to New York City brochure.

"Morning," Nari yawned.

Wolf glanced up from the brochure, the cocky smile returning to his face, "Morning, beautiful. All right," he slapped the brochure down on the table, "today's mission; trying to find a mission. We need a place to start. New York's a big sucker and I want to find Max as quickly as possible."

He spread open the brochure to reveal a large map, "I think we should start in Central Park. Max is no idiot and she wouldn't land where everyone could see her. Central Park is dark, green, leafy, and offers good coverage."

Nari twirled piece of thread she'd found on the bedcover in her fingers, chewing thoughtfully on her lip. "What about a library?"

Wolf folded the map back up, "What?"

Nari sat up, glancing over at Nickoli who was watching her, "A library," she continued, "if I were Max, I'd be looking for answers. Answers to…I don't know, saving the world or something. Why not a library?"

Wolf folded his arms across his chest, staring thoughtfully at the far wall. A smile broke out across his face, "You know what Streeter, this is why I love you. You're brilliant! A library…which one?"

Nari ignored the squirming in her stomach as she thought back to the dream, "New York's public," she suggested, hoping she didn't sound too obvious, "it's the most basic place to start."

Wolf grinned, "It's perfect! All right, pack up we're leaving as soon as possible."

* * *

The young man behind the desk looked impatient, drumming his fingers on the polished wood with his chin cupped in his palm. His nose wrinkled as he looked over the ragged teenagers standing before him, "Can I help you?"

Nari stood on her tiptoes to see over the ridiculously tall desk, "Do you have computers?" she asked, trying to imitate a sweet voice.

"Fourth floor," the man said flatly, swatting lifelessly at a fly crawling across the desk, "just off the main reading room. It doesn't cost but you do have to sign in."

"Thanks," Nari nodded, suppressing a flinch as Wolf slid his hand into hers and led them to the elevators. Nickoli leaned against the wall as Wolf hit the fourth floor button, not releasing his grip on Nari's hand. He whistled happily, rocking back and forth from the tips of his toes to the heels of his feet as the elevator slid upwards.

The lady at the sign in desk smiled sweetly at them and pushed a long paper in their direction, "Nice to see some new faces," she beamed, "not many people are coming around the computer rooms now a days."

Nari returned the smile, trying to calm her jumping nerves and signed the paper as Holly Sharp. As the desk receptionist slid the paper back, a certain name near the top of the list caught Nari's eye.

Ella Martinez.

Wolf tugged her away from the desk, his eyes sweeping across the room. He froze, staring lividly at a girl whose face was half-hidden by the computer monitors. She shifted slightly, revealing the long sleeve of a dark brown windbreaker with scuffed ends. Wolf released Nari's hand and trotted forward, reaching his hand out to touch the other girl's shoulder.

Nari exchanged a dark glance with Nickoli, the tips of her fingers humming with excitement. Wolf brushed the girl's shoulder and she froze, her grip on the mouse tightening.

Nari was surprised at the amount of anticipation building in her chest. This was Wolf's dream, not hers; yet, why was she so looking forward to seeing the fabled Maximum Ride?

Nari held her breath as the girl slowly turned around…


	9. Chapter Eight: Heart of a Wolf

A/N: I find this chapter absolutely brimming with all sorts of warm and fuzzy drama. Yet...tell me something, have I crossed some invisable line here, or am I still good to go? Heeheee. Enjoy!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Eight: Heart of a Wolf

Nari had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. The absolute look of shock that crossed Wolf's face when the girl at the computer let loose a shower of pepper spray had been enormously priceless.

Still laughing inside herself, Nari leaned back against the bathroom counter of the New York public library and chewed at the end of her nail. Nickoli leaned against the wall across from her, a smile playing in his dark blue eyes. In the bathroom stall, Wolf was dutifully cursing the girl's very existence.

"Dammit!" he spat for the fourth time, scrubbing the heel of his hand across his red eyes, "I don't know what the _hell_ she had to get so worked up about! All I did was ask her freakin' name! Shit!"

Nari scooted aside as he stormed out of the bathroom stall and slammed his fists down on the counter, glaring at his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were swollen and bloodshot, practically baked from the sting of the pepper spray.

"New York is a bad city," Nari shrugged, "maybe it wasn't wrong of her to be so judgmental. You don't just walk around handing your name out to complete strangers."

Wolf grumbled under his breath, slowly massaging the crimson skin around his eyes. "And the worst part is," he growled, unrolling a wad of toilet paper from the dispenser and wetting it down, "we're back to square one! No sign of Max! Just some damn chick with a bottle full of pepper spray and some seriously frayed nerves!" He laid the soaking toilet paper across his eyes, gritting at the pain.

Nari ran her finger over the carvings on the side of the bathroom stall. Her fingers tracing a group of tiny hearts, two names with a plus sign between them, and a surprisingly detailed scratching of a large building with several spires springing from the top. The scratching was old, frayed and chipped at the edges; the name at the bottom of the building was barely visible.

"Saint…Patrick's," she sounded out under her breath.

Wolf slammed the top of the garbage can down and kicked at the wall in sheer frustration, "And to top it off, we have no place to sleep tonight!"

"Saint Patrick's," Nari repeated, louder this time.

Nickoli walked closer and stood beside her, his eyes scanning the chipped carving of the building on the stall. "A cathedral," he said after a moments pause, "like…a church, or something."

Wolf wasn't listening.

"A church," Nickoli said louder, making sure Wolf caught his words, "a quiet place, wide spaces, lots of shadows to hide in…sound like a good place as any. Cathedrals are usually open to the public twenty-four-seven, I'm pretty sure no one would even notice if we just walk in and never came back out."

Wolf glared at Nickoli acidly, "Fine," he snarled, "we'll sleep in the church."

* * *

Saint Patrick's was bigger than Nari had imagined it to be. The cold stone walls spiraled hundreds of feet into the air, peeked off at the top with a giant bell tower that had an angel sitting on its roof. Her chipped and worn face smiling down with her wings unfurled for the whole world to see.

Nari rustled her own wings beneath her jacket, wishing she could spread them open and sit with the stone angel. Just sit there forever and not have to worry about anything. A woman brushed past her, pulling Nari out of her thoughts and back down into reality.

Inside, Saint Patrick's was large, crowded, and quiet; the perfect place for three mutant freaks to bed down for the night. The last rays of the setting sun spilled through the stain glass windows high above their heads, staining the stone floor like a rainbow.

Wolf jerked his head toward a corridor off the main room that was sealed shut by a thin chain. He lifted the chain, casually glancing around to see if anyone was watching as Nari and Nickoli slid into the empty corridor.

A chill rushed up Nari's spine as the corridor melted away into a spiraling staircase. She tugged her jacket closer around her and carefully picked her way up the stairs behind Nickoli, Wolf brought up the rear, his gray eyes still hooded with anger from the events of that morning.

The staircase turned sharply, revealing a large wooden door with iron hinges jammed between the walls. Nickoli tried to turn the knob and it clicked dully. Locked.

"Move," Wolf muttered, shouldering his way to the front. He wrapped one of his pale hands around the doorknob and lifted upwards sharply, tugging back at the same time. The door popped open, several old fashion springs falling from the lock and tumbling silently down the stairs.

Nari slid her way in first, taking several steps before stopping and scanning the room with a smile playing across her lips. The floor was made of stone; bits of straw from morning dove's nests spotted the gray, reflecting the light that was cast by a solitary window fixed into the far wall.

Boxes were stacked high against the walls, the cardboard black and molded from years of sitting in the dark. An old fashion iron board bed with a lumpy mattress and no sheets was propped up against the wall next to the window. An out of date couch sat at its feet like an obedient dog.

It was perfect.

"Wow," Nickoli breathed, standing next to Nari with his hands shoved in his pockets. Wolf kicked at a pebble on the floor, wrinkling his nose in disgust, "It's a dump," he muttered, "I can't believe we have to sleep here when there's a perfectly good hotel just down the street."

Nari shivered in the slight cold, "People freak me out. This is a good place, I don't even think Erasers could find us here."

Wolf sighed, rubbing at his itchy eyes, "Fine. Nickoli takes the couch. Me and Nari take the bed."

"Wolf," Nari protested, closing her eyes as the sun finally set, casting the room in semi-darkness, "you said that was just for one night. I'll just sleep on the floor or something."

Wolf shrugged, a hint of his former cockiness showing through his bad mood, "Fine. Nickoli, take the couch and push it against the far wall," he turned to Nari, sliding his hand into hers just like his old self, "me and Nari are going to pick up some food at the store across the street. We'll be back in a second."

Nickoli nodded silently and tossed his battered coat to the floor, his dark wings shining in the dim light. Nari watched him push the couch across the stone floor until Wolf tugged at her and the door shut, blocking her view.

Nari pulled her hand away from Wolf's grip as they shuffled down the stairs, her desire to get the right message across to him making her bold. At the bottom of the staircase, Wolf stopped, turning to face Nari with a slick smile on his face.

"Nari?" he asked innocently, taking a step closer to her.

Nari stared at him suspiciously, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as an ice ball settled in her stomach, "Yeah?"

"I was just wondering," he took another step, his pale arms sliding around her waist as he pressed his forehead against hers. Nari was about to protest, pushing gently at his grip around her waist and gritting her teeth to keep from saying something she'd regret. She didn't want to hurt Wolf's feelings…she just wanted to let him know that he was being a little…

Wolf shoved her hard against the wall, latching his hands around her wrists and pinning them against the stone. His eyes narrowed into angry slits as he pushed his body against hers, his face just inches away.

Nari choked, the ice ball pricking in her stomach, a scream rose in her throat.

"Don't," Wolf growled, "scream. You have no idea how easy it would be to just snap your neck.."

Nari froze, terror spreading through her arms and legs. Wolf's voice was low and full of rage, his eyes glinting terribly in the half-light.

"As I was saying," he continued, releasing one of her hands and gripping her chin between his fingers, forcing her to look in his eyes, "before I was so rudely interrupted. I was just wondering, Nari Streeter, who the hell do you think you are?"

Nari opened her mouth but no words came out. She thought of Nickoli in the room above them. Would he hear her if she screamed? Could he get here before Wolf ended everything?

"You see, love," Wolf said softly, his hot breath on her face, "I saved your life. You owe me everything. I put up with you wanting to take on Nickoli. I didn't protest when you suggested the library. I followed you, because I wanted to make you happy. I knew, from the moment I saw you, that it was just _you, _Nari, you were the only thing I wanted."

He ran his cold finger across her cheek, pressing his forehead back into hers.

"Max. Saving the world. Getting answers to my screwed up life. I made those things my second priority. You were my number one. I played along at first. Tried being kind, and strong, and protective. I tried to be everything I thought you wanted me to be; but you just kept pushing me away."

He smiled, tilting his head ever so slightly in the dim light, "So let's get one thing straight between you and me…I _own_ you. I owned you the moment I knocked that first Eraser out of the sky. You owe me so much, and as of right now, you're going to start acting like it."

The church bell began to ring somewhere in the distance, echoing hollowly through the empty corridor.

"I say jump," Wolf whispered, "you say 'how high'? I say dance, you say 'how fast'? Got it?"

Nari nodded the best she could, tears springing to her eyes.

Wolf smiled seductively, his lips curling over his fangs, "No. I don't think you do get it." He pressed his lips against her, his fangs splitting through the skin, bringing the slight taste of blood into Nari's mouth. He pulled back, fire dancing in his eyes.

"Tell me you love me."

Nari tried her best to ignore the squirming in her stomach, raw fear gnawing on her throat, "I love you," she whispered, choking back a sob.

Smiling, Wolf brushed his hand through her hair, "Good. Now I'm going across the street to pick up some food. You'll stay here until I come back. Calm yourself down a bit. I don't want Nickoli asking any questions. And if he does happen to ask _anything_, you won't breathe a single word. Right?"

He released her; red marks springing up on her wrists as she slid to the floor, tears spilling down her cheeks. She hugged her knees to her chest, the pressure of the wall bringing a dull ache to her wings, "Not a word," she repeated, digging her nails into her arm to keep from crying in front of him.

Wolf sighed, closing his eyes with pleasure, "That's my girl."

His pearly wings swished slightly as he turned his back on her and slid out the door, humming softly to himself in the moonlight.


	10. Chapter Nine: My Angel

A/N: This chapter is more like a preperation for the chapters to come. Ahhh! I'm sorry if it's a bit boring, I promise i'll make up for it, just let me LIVE:_clears throat_: sorry, please enjoy.

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Nine: My Angel

Nari took a deep breath, slowly letting the air rush out of her lungs. Her back hurt from being hunched over for so long, but she didn't dare move. Her wings pricked uncomfortably against the stone wall of the vacant corridor in the Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Everything was cold.

_Tell me you love me._

A warm hand brushed over her shoulder.

Nari jumped, adrenaline spiking her system as she lurched back to look up into the eyes of the intruder. She felt herself slowly relax, gritting her teeth as her heartbeat increased by several notches. Nickoli was staring down at her, his dark brow wrinkled with worry.

What was she suppose to say?

"Why are you on the floor?" he asked suspiciously.

Nari scrambled for an explanation. She couldn't tell Nickoli anything. If she breathed even one word…who knew what Wolf would do? "Um…" she started, shakily getting to her knees, "I…got dizzy, coming down the stairs. W-wolf said I would be okay if I just kind of stayed here until I got my bearings. I think I might be a bit sick."

Nickoli's eyes softened as he extended his hand down to her, "You work too hard," he said with a slight laugh, "your body can only take so much you know."

Nari nodded, letting him help her to her feet, he must have trusted her a lot to believe such a stupid answer. Her head spun slightly and a wave of heat washed up from her back. Maybe she was getting a little sick…

"I was just going down to the cathedral," Nickoli said, nodding at the arched doorway, "want to come with me?"

Nari hesitated, fear prickling goosebumps on her arm. What would Wolf say? She nodded numbly, craving the peace and quiet of the Cathedral's pews.

The pews were practically empty when they walked in. An old man with a battered coat sat at the far end, his eyes closed over his folded hands. Nari wondered if he was just sleeping, grateful for a place off the street to which he was condemned.

Nickoli sat near the front of the rows, his wings out in the open like it was no big deal. Nari glanced nervously over at the sleeping homeless man, wondering how he'd react if he woke up and saw them. She felt a chill travel down to the tips of her feathers as she sat next to Nickoli, breathing in the deep scent of redwood benches.

The quiet was smothering, pressing in from all sides like a wet blanket. Nari felt like she couldn't breath, the carved faces of plastic angels staring down at her from every corner. A light glowed dimly from behind a smooth curtain at the front of the large room.

Nickoli took a deep breath, closing his eyes and stretching forward to lean against the pew in front of him. Nari followed his lead, hanging her arms over the pew and closing her eyes to ward off the demons of that night.

"Nari?" Nickoli asked softly, his eyes still closed, "can I ask you something personal?" Nari muttered something she hoped sounded like a yes, burying her face in her arms.

"Do you believe in God?"

The bell began to chime again, announcing the late hours to all who would listen. Nari blinked, surprised at the question. "I've…never really thought about it," she whispered, keeping her voice low so the old man wouldn't wake up, "the School is all I've known since I was a kid…God wasn't exactly a topic I thought about constantly. You know what I mean."

Nickoli opened his eyes, staring at her silently through his dark lashes. He lifted his head to look at her more clearly, "Actually…I don't know," he fingered his sleeve self-consciously, hesitating as if to gauge her reaction, "I didn't come to the School until I was seven…"

"What?" Nari lifted her head, staring at him in confusion.

Nickoli shrugged, turning his gaze to his folded hands, "My mother…she died when I was two, and left me alone with my dad. After she was gone, I don't think he wanted me as much. He used to drink a lot, always staying out really late."

His voice faltered as he turned his head away so Nari couldn't look at him, "Not that it matters to you," he laughed, "you probably don't want to hear it…"

"No," Nari blurted, scooting closer to him on the bench, "tell me," she said softer, "please? I want to listen."

_Anything to help her forget._

Nickoli kept his gaze on the floor, slowly tracing small circles across the top of his hand, "It was a car accident," he said after a moment, "a car accident is what killed my mother. A teenager, underage, rolled his truck on top of her car. She died in the hospital a week later. I don't really remember what she looked like…"

He sank lower into the pew, his eyes closing slowly like he was going to fall asleep. "He used to hit me a lot. My father. Always when no one was looking. Always where the bruises wouldn't show. My grades dropped, and I stopped talking to people…lost everything I had. Until one day, I fought back."

Nickoli took a deep breath, finally turning to face Nari, "I hit him in the head with a nine-iron, and he fell over. I didn't want him to get back up, so I hit him again. And again. And again. Social services took me to a boy's home…I didn't see my father after that. Two months later, the School came, saying they were from some stupid behavior correction facility, and they were taking on children without charge."

A small smile quirked at the edge of his lips, "I guess the rest is history."

Nari felt her stomach sink, "I had no idea."

Nickoli folded his arms behind his head, leaning back to stare at the ceiling, "It's no big deal. There's a thousand other kids that share the same story as mine…if you look at it the right way, I was one of the lucky ones."

Nari snorted, "Yeah. Because all the lucky people get bird wings mutated onto the backs in a life-threatening operation that usually ends in a slow and painful death."

"At least I'm alive," Nickoli retorted, "no…I'm better than alive," a genuine smile spread across his face as he tilted his head to look at Nari, "I'm with you."

Nari ducked her head to hide the blush creeping up her neck. It usually wasn't like her to be this open with people. Keep low, stay hidden, don't draw attention to yourself; that had been one of the rules of survival. She grinned wirily to herself. A bang-up job she'd been doing with _that_.

"Oh, boy," Wolf's voice echoed from the back of the Cathedral, "are we having a party?"

Nari felt her heart jump into her throat as she spun around. A smug grin was plastered across Wolf's face as he set down the bags of food he'd been carrying, "Now tell me," he continued, tapping his chin with his pale finger, "why wasn't I invited?"

Nickoli got to his feet, "We were just talking," he said truthfully, "I wanted to see the Cathedral. Don't worry though, Nari's feeling better, I think it was just her lack of sleep finally catching up with her."

Wolf's eyebrows shot up, momentarily confused. Nari felt the muscles in her shoulder knot; she screwed her eyes shut tightly. _Oh, God, don't say something stupid._

"Yeah," Wolf said after a moment, "just lack of sleep. Speaking of which, we should probably all get some shuteye. Nickoli, help me carry these bags up?"

Nari kept her eyes on the floor as she followed Wolf and Nickoli up the stairs. The blood roared against her temples as she gritted her teeth to keep them from chattering. Nickoli had rearranged the room slightly so that the boxes were out of the way and the couch was pushed into a far corner. The bed was against the other wall, an old pillow that had been buried in the boxes throw on top.

After Wolf shut the door behind them, the room fell into pitch darkness. Nari stayed frozen on her feet as she listened to Nickoli feel his way over to the couch and lay down. Her throat constricted when Wolf slipped his cold fingers into hers, leading her silently across the room.

"Don't worry," he said, loud enough for Nickoli to hear as he pushed Nari down on the bed, "we'll find Max soon."

His hot breath was suddenly against her face as he quickly leaned in, "If you said anything," he hissed, sliding his arms around her stomach, "I'll slit his throat before he even gets the chance to scream."

Nari laid back against the lumpy mattress, trembling slightly as Wolf latched his arms around her waist, his burning breath against the back of her neck. Across the room, Nari could just make out the glint of Nickoli's eyes as he watched them. Nari stared back, trying to make the message in her stare strong enough for him to hear.

_Help me._


	11. Chapter Ten: Premonitions

A/N: Hubabha. Yudulbua. Shahhhahhh... Sorry, i'm really tired. Not really in the mood for a giant introduction so let's roll this sucker. Ba da **BOOM**! Enjoy...

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Ten: Premonitions

_Nari turned slowly around in the parking lot, scanning the dark New York sky for any sign of familiarity. The stars winked back at her like a thousand crystals scattered across a black blanket, warming the treetops with their faint light. Her eye caught a wooden sign with sprawling silver letters set into the ground several feet away._

_Garden Taverns: New York's finest._

_A breeze rustled around the edges of her feet, brushing a light fabric across her skin. Nari looked down, surprised to find herself in a silky gold colored dress, the hem of the gown trailing across a pair of black strap-on high heels. She smiled to herself. This had to be a dream. There was no way she'd be caught dead in high heels. _

_Car headlights flashed across the otherwise vacant parking lot, illuminating the dew-dropped grass and sagging willow trees. Nari ducked, tugging her jacket tighter around her arms to ward off the goosebumps. The car swerved away without stopping._

_Yet, the lights had revealed something Nari hadn't expected to see._

_Five blurred figures, led by none other than the girl who Nari had dreamed about at the library. She looked anxious, glancing nervously over her shoulder every few seconds to gather a headcount of the fuzzy shapes behind her. One of the smaller figures tugged anxiously on her hand, his voice distorted and full of white noise, like a radio station that wasn't coming through clearly. _

_Nari stood up quickly, tearing the jacket from her back and throwing it into the grass. She unfurled her wings to their fullest extent, stumbling in her high heels. She wanted to scream, but her voice was lost. She raised her arms to wave them, hoping to get the girl's attention. _

_The girl's face turned toward her, unraveling around the edges, slowly loosing its sharpness…become less clear by the second._

_Wait! Nari screamed in her mind, her legs as heavy as iron as she dragged herself across the parking lot. Wait! I know who you are! Please, wait! Wait for me!_

_Maximum Ride…

* * *

_

Nari sat up in bed, her chest heaving and her hair matted with sweat. The Cathedral room was basking in the glow of the early morning sun, cold and glistening across the dusty boxes. The almost constant noise of the chapel bell echoed in the background, vibrating across the floorboards like the roar of a giant beast.

Nickoli was sitting on the edge of the couch, an open can of Spagetti-o's in his hand. He chewed the cold noodles slowly, his other hand dripping with tomato sauce due to the lack of utensils.

Wolf sat next to him, his arms splayed out across the back of the couch in a perfect picture of ease. His cold gray eyes locked onto Nari, a muscle in his jaw working slowly up and down like the gears of a giant machine. The dusty window threw splotchy light across his pale face, casting the rest in shadows.

"Morning," Nickoli said, scrapping his fingers across the near empty can, "want some breakfast?"

Nari hung her legs off the edge of the bed, shaking her head as she tried to calm her jumping heart. Nickoli gave her a strange look. She shrugged, trying to look sheepish, "I've kind of lost my appetite. I'll eat later."

Wolf tilted his head back to examine the ceiling, a smile flittering across his face. "You know," he mused, "back at the School, I learned a secret from the white-coats. It was in one of their reports…they said that when the avian DNA is infused with our own, side effects are common. Different side effects," his eyes flashed, "inhuman side effects."

Nari swallowed nervously, "Really?"

"Oh, yeah," Wolf nodded, leaning forward slowly, "in fact, sometimes, these side effects come out in the form of…let's just say, powers. Night vision. Telepathy. Super-speed," he paused, running his tongue over his fangs, "…premonitions."

Nickoli licked his fingers and set the empty can down on the floor, "What kind of premonitions?"

Wolf carefully cracked each one of his fingers in order, his gaze not straying from Nari's face, "You know," he sighed, "like…dreams. Of course, Nari could tell you all about that…couldn't you, Streeter?"

Nickoli glanced in Nari's direction, surprise flitting across his face, "What would Nari know about premonitions?"

Wolf shrugged, "Ask her."

Nickoli turned his dark eyes back to her, clasping his hands together as if he were a father about to lecture a disobedient teenager, "Nari?" he asked, "What's he talking about?"

A line of sweat gathered across Nari's hairline, her hands clenching into fists across the sheets. How did Wolf know? Why did he have to know _everything_?

"Sometimes," she said hesitantly, taking a deep breath, "I have…dreams. And sometimes…they come true."

Nickoli stared at her, his face frozen in disbelief.

Wolf smiled, getting to his feet and walking over to the bed. He sat down, tracing his hand across Nari's neck. "You dreamed about Max at the library," he smirked, "didn't you?"

Nari gritted her teeth and nodded, afraid to look in Nickoli's eyes.

"And last night," his grip tightened on her shoulder, "what did you dream about then?"

Anger boiled behind Nari's chest, her fingers curling into tight fists. She didn't have to answer. She could lie. Send Wolf on a goose chase, just long enough for her to slip away. It would be so easy…

Nickoli stirred across the room, his dark wings catching her eye.

The message Wolf sent in the tightening of his grip was clear. _You don't tell me…I'll slit his throat before he has time to scream._

"A diner," Nari blurted, "a big flashy place. Garden…Tavern's…or something, I don't really remember the name. Max was there."

Wolf let his hand drop away; he quickly got to his feet, pacing over to the window. "You think she'll be there tonight?" he asked, spinning around to face Nari.

"I don't _know_," Nari pushed, a headache creeping from behind her eyes, "I dreamed she was at the library and that didn't come true. Maybe it's just dreaming…"

"No," Wolf snapped, "she'll be there. She has to be."

Nari could pretty much translate the meaning behind his cold eyes.

_She'd better be…

* * *

_

The parking lot was exactly as Nari had remembered it. She walked over to where she had stood in her dream, spinning around slowly to take in her surroundings. Sure enough, just several feet away, the Garden Tavern's sign was barely visible behind an over growth of trees.

She nodded, turning back to Wolf and Nickoli, "This is the place."

Wolf glanced around him, taking in the rather unkempt parking lot, "You sure?"

Nari hesitated and then nodded, hugging her arms to herself to ward off the cold.

Nickoli rocked back on his heels, "So what? Do we just wait here and hope she shows up?"

Wolf looked at Nari expectantly, hitching his hands to his hips. Nari chewed at her lip, glancing behind her. Through the dense overgrowth of willows, she could just make out the outline of the large brick building, a faint light spreading around it like a ghost.

"Maybe," she said softly, taking several steps forward, "we should go inside."

A strong steady pulse of heavy music flooded over them as they approached the door. The building was overgrown with weeds and out of control bushes that once served as landscaping. Rotted two-by-four boards were nailed haphazardly over the windows, blocking out the majority of the light that was radiating from inside.

Wolf gave Nari a meaningful glance. This place definitely didn't look like New York's finest. Nari bit at her nails nervously. Maybe she'd led them to the wrong building…

Just then the door split open, spilling light across the sidewalk. Nari felt Nickoli tense next to her, ready to fight or flight at the drop of a needle.

A thin boy with spiked hair and a half-empty beer bottle swinging from his hand leaned against the doorway, chewing half-heartedly on a cigarette. He looked them up and down, his eyes half-lidded with drunkenness.

"Man," he sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, "the party started at ten o' clock, what chu' people doing out here?

Wolf slipped his hand around Nari's waist, pulling her closer with a cocky grin, "We're here for the party. Fashionably late, I always say."

The man stared at them sleepily for several second before standing aside, motioning in the building with his beer bottle, "Come on in, I'm not gonna stop you."

Wolf nodded his thanks, pulling Nari into the overwhelming light of the building. Nari glanced back over her shoulder, smiling half-heartedly at Nickoli. He shook his head and followed them inside, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Garden Taverns

A/N: Wooo! Double update! I think I'm gonna pass out!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Eleven: Garden Taverns

Garden Tavern's split into three rooms. The first room glittered and sparkled with shattered crystal remains. A large chandelier hung crookedly from the ceiling, the cord holding it up molded and frayed. The deafening throb of music pounded relentlessly from two massive speakers sitting on the ground next to a massive fireplace in the second room. The last room was jam packed with people; their bodies stank of cheap whine and booze.

Nari felt hyperaware of the sheer amount of _people _pressing in all around. They were everywhere. Young teenagers and middle-aged wash-ups, each one with a bottle containing some kind of alcohol glued to their palms. A girl slipped next to Nari, her arms splayed out in every direction as she fell dizzily to the ground.

Sick to her stomach, Nari scanned the countless heads. There was no way Max would be stupid enough to pack in with all these people. There was no place to escape. No room to fight. Nowhere to hide if bad came to worse.

Stupid.

A large crowd of people shoved past them, their arms held high above their heads, pounding in time to the music. Nari sucked in her breath, Wolf's grip around her waist disappearing as the crowd swept her away.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

Nari shoved hopelessly against the crowd, panic swelling in her chest as she tried desperately to stay on her feet. There were too many people. A man with bloodshot eyes stumbled into her, his hand pressing hard against her back, running his fingers through her feathers below her jacket. His eyes widened in drunken surprise.

Nari ducked her head and squeezed away from him, fighting her way to a void in the crowd next to the speaker. She took a deep breath to calm her shaking nerves. Wolf was nowhere to be seen, his white hair drown out by the sheer mass of colors and faces.

A tall girl with dyed purple hair pulled back into a tight braid swung her arms around Nari's shoulder, her breath stank of alcohol.

"You're so beautiful!" the girl sighed, taking a long drag of her cigarette, "I'd kill for hair like yours," she touched Nari's hair attentively, her eyes filled with longing.

Nari pulled away from her, pressing her back into the wall and resisting the urge to spread her wings and take flight. Two other girls with wild make-up joined the purple haired girl, all of them swaying drunkenly.

"Speaking of gorgeous," the short one slurred, "check out the Pale Prince over there," she leaned against the wall next to Nari, her eyes fixed across the room, "God! I'd kill to get a body like that."

Nari glanced over to where the girl was staring. Wolf's lean form was pressed against the wall on the other side of the room, his teeth gritted as heavy man offered him a swig of his half-empty beer bottle. Nickoli stood next to him, his face scrunched up in concentration as he scanned the crowd for Nari's face.

"Forget the freak," purple-hair snapped, "I like the one next to him. I don't think I've ever seen such a pretty face on a boy," she rolled her head back exaggeratedly, "he could be a freakin' _angel_."

The short one gasped, giggling dizzily, "Don't say that! You know what happened here!"

Nari froze, her heart kicking in her chest, "What happened here?" she shouted over the music, unwillingly sliding closer to the short girl.

Purple-hair leaned against the short one, her eyes half-lidded, "Well, a few months ago, there were these kids that walked into this restaurant, back when it wasn't condemned, and pissed a few people off. They phoned up the police, but before the pigs got here, they took off!" he swished her bottle in the air, "spread their wings like angels and broke through the ceiling. The hole's still there if you want to see it."

Nari squinted against the dim light. The glass-domed ceiling was hard to see in the dark, but if she looked at it just right, a spot in the sky could be seen through the glass. Almost as if there was a giant hole the glass…

She shoved her way back into the crowd, elbowing and kicking her way without caring who she hit. Nickoli's face lit up when he caught sight of her. He pulled away from Wolf's side and slipped into the crowd, sliding between people like a shadow.

"Are you okay?" he shouted in her ear, fastening his hand around her wrist.

Nari nodded, clinging closer to him as he made a path back to wall. Wolf jerked his head toward the door, his eyes flashing furiously as he shouldered his way past a group of men surrounding a scared looking girl much younger than them.

Open air had never tasted so _good._

Nari sucked in a shuddering breath, goosebumps gathering across her back. She didn't even realize that she was still clinging to Nickoli until they had walked back to the parking lot. She uncurled her fingers from his jacket and tilted her head back to look at the sky.

"Max wasn't there," Wolf said matter-o-factly, turning to face her.

Nari nodded miserably, "There were some girl's there, they said that some kids broke through the ceiling several months ago and flew away. That must have been her."

Wolf stared at her in disbelief, "Several _months_ ago, Streeter? Months!"

Nickoli stepped in front of her protectively, his calm eyes locked on Wolf's face, "She didn't know," he insisted, "we all make mistakes. I think we're all just tired."

Wolf stood there for several minutes, the muscle in his jaw working over and over again. Finally, his shoulders seemed to relax and he took several steps back, his hands held up in surrender. "Fine," he said curtly, "that's fine. Nickoli…you head back to the Cathedral. I need to talk to Nari."

Nickoli hesitated, his face full of distrust.

Wolf grinned, "Come on, Nick. What do you think I'm gonna do?"

Nari gritted her teeth. No. No. No. No! This couldn't be happening.

Slowly, Nickoli glanced at Nari and then back to Wolf, the distrust in his face washing away. "All right," he nodded, stepping down, "I'll meet you back at Saint Patrick's." Wolf nodded silently as Nickoli slipped off into the darkness, his sneakers tapping lightly against the sidewalk.

Silence took over. Blanketing the parking lot like a heavy snow.

"Wolf," Nari started, wringing her hands, "it was a mistake. I'm sorry. Please don't hurt Nickoli…"

He hit her…hard.

The world spun as she hit the concrete, the skin on her cheeks grinding into the asphalt painfully. She opened her wings in panic, landing awkwardly on top of one, twisting it in a way it should never have twisted, spots of blood springing up along her jaw line. Tears sprung in her eyes as she laid in the parking lot, staring up at the sky, completely dazed.

Wolf's face filled her narrowed vision, satisfaction glowing across his completely calm face. "Get out," he said, his voice dangerously low.

Nari pulled herself to her knees, already feeling the pressure around her eye as the skin swelled up. "Wolf," she gasped, drawing her legs underneath her.

"Get out of here!" Wolf roared, landing a strong kick to her ribs.

Nari hit the ground running, her feet slapping the sidewalk as she poured on the speed. Her vision narrowed until she only saw what mattered. Her feet flying out in front of her, each time they make contact with the cement taking her one bound farther from his twisted anger.

Her wing throbbed, sticking out from under her jacket like a dead thing, limp and unmoving. Panic fluttered under her breastbone, fueling her aimless flight across the darkened streets of New York.

She ran for as long as she could, until finally…she had to stop.

A car honked its horn angrily as she stumbled across the last street, painful breaths wracking her body as she struggled to get more air. The sky was spinning dizzily, the stars twisting like a distorted picture. Like her dreams just before they ended.

Nari collapsed against a rusted dumpster and choked, her stomach heaving emptily, trying to throw out the breakfast she had never eaten.

It had been a stupid idea.

Going to the Garden Tavern's had been the worst idea ever.

If Wolf hadn't figured out her stupid dreams…none of it would have happened. She would be back at the Cathedral with Nickoli, sitting in the pews with her wings in the open. Laid out like a book so only the God she didn't believe in could judge her.

The breath snagged in her throat.

_I'll slit his throat before he gets the chance to scream._

Nickoli…


	13. Chapter Twelve: Flight of the Eagle

A/N: now that i'm actually awake I can do a proper introduction. **:clears throat:** Allright! This is where the story get's nice and tense! For those of you who want to flock to just step in randomly at any moment, _hold your britches!_ You can't just step into these things like the way i stepped in that cow crap yesterday. You have to ease into it. Let is all _soak_ in... ENJOY!!!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Twelve: Flight of the Eagle

Nickoli paced the Cathedral floor nervously. Maybe it had been wrong of him to leave Nari with Wolf. Yet…could Wolf really be dangerous? Sure, he was cocky, full of himself, and a little forward, but he wasn't _dangerous._ Was he?

A twang of fear thrummed his Nickoli's chest like the strings of a harp as he paused to listen. It had almost been half an hour since he returned from Garden Taverns, and still there was no sign of Wolf or Nari. A horrible thought crept into his mind. What if Eraser's found them? He shook his head, resuming the endless pace from the front of the pews to the back.

How could he leave her alone like that?

After all she'd done for him, he'd left her alone with that creep. After she had accepted him when he needed it most. After she saved his guts and listened to him piss and moan about how horrible his own life was when Nari's misery had been staring him straight in the face. After all…it had been her hand…_her_ hand that helped him to his feet the first day he saw her face. It was all because of her.

The cathedral door swung open with a loud boom.

Nickoli spun on his heels, "Nari?"

* * *

It was raining by the time Nari made it back. Her soaking shirt sticking uncomfortably against her numb wings, plastering her hair across her face like an extremely uncomfortably hairpiece that had been fished out of a gutter.

Saint Patrick's looked somber and cold in the bleak weather. It's high stone walls soaring up to meet the black clouds without fear. A little girl splashed heedlessly in a puddle several feet down the sidewalk, her mother standing next to her with a wide purple umbrella.

Nari ignored them, wondering if they'd notice the tip of her wing that was jutting out from under her jacket at an odd angle. The cathedral door's seemed heavier than usual, swinging open with the sound of an iron clapper slamming against the copper bell high above the church.

Her sneakers left wet footprint on the otherwise spotless floor, shining in the dim light like tiny pools of liquid silver. Nari hugged her arms around herself, feeling the pressure around her eye as the skin turned dark with a bruise. Her ribs ached, and she was certain that if she lifted her shirt the skin would be discolored and bloody.

The chapel was silent.

A cold needle dug it's way into Nari's chest. What if she was too late? What if Wolf had beat her here? Maybe Nickoli was already…

The rain pattered against the roof, drowning out the noise of the footsteps echoing behind her. Nari felt the hairs on her arms stand up, a chill rushing down her back. She could just barely feel the hot breath on the back of her neck…

"Nari!"

Nari jumped, spinning around as a small sound squeaked from her throat. Nickoli wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a warm hug.

"Where were you!" he exclaimed, pulling back and holding her at arms length. His eyes narrowed, "Wolf came back almost fifteen minutes ago, he wouldn't talk to me. What's going…what happened to your face?"

Fear flooded Nari's stomach. Wolf had beaten her here. He could be hiding anywhere in the wide chapel room…waiting.

"I tripped," Nari blurted, cursing herself for being so stupid. Yet, she was still clinging to the hope that if she kept on lying, Wolf would let Nickoli live…

Nickoli's brow shot up, "You tripped and fell on your eye?"

Nari nodded miserably, shivering more from fear than the cold.

A loud crack of thunder echoed through the cathedral's domed ceiling, rattling the stained glass portraits in their frames. One of the carved wooden angels fell, crashing against the pews and splitting into two, one of its stubby wings spinning across the floor.

"Nari," Nickoli whispered, "people don't fall on their eyes. What happened?"

Nari's hands rushed to her ears as another thunder blast shook the walls, she shook her head rapidly, screwing her eyes shut and wishing it would all just end. "I can't!" she screamed, "I can't! I can't! I can't!"

Nickoli's eyes darkened, his fingers stiffening on her shoulder, "Nari…did he hurt you?"

Everything was falling apart. Nari kept shaking her head, her nails digging into her scalp. There was no way things could go this wrong. It was just unfair. It wasn't _right._

Nickoli's hands left her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open just in time to see him walking stiffly toward the door to the vacant corridor, his dark wings swishing in the blackness.

Nari beat him there, slamming her back against the door and spreading her arms open to keep him from passing, "What are you doing!" she shouted, her voice hinted with blind hysteria. Nickoli stopped in front of her, his hands clenched into tight fists.

"I'm going to kill that bastard," he growled, "I swear to God, Nari, I'm going to kill him."

"Not if he kills you first!" Nari screamed over the thunder.

Nickoli wrapped his hand around the doorknob, yanking hard in an attempt to open it. Nari lunged for him, beating her fists against his chest. Anything to keep him back. _Anything_ to stop him from getting himself killed.

"You don't understand!" Nari shouted as Nickoli grabbed her wrists to stop the rain of poorly thrown punches, "You just don't get it!" he voice broke into a sob. Everything was tipping over. Like an endless line of dominos, and at the end, Nari teetering just on the edge of falling over the cliff of overwhelming emotions she'd kept trapped away for so long.

Nickoli hugged her close, her wet skin soaking into his shirt.

"He said he'd kill you," Nari gasped, pushing him back until they hit the benches, "that's why I couldn't tell you. He said if you breathed a word, he'd slit your throat before you got the chance to scream. I couldn't…let him kill you…"

There was a brief lull in the storm, a silent period in which Nari could just make out the slow and steady footsteps of someone coming down the stairs. Ice spilled across her muscles, freezing her to the spot as the last of the dominos tumbled over…

It was so unfair for it to end like this…

Nickoli pressed his mouth to her ear, "We're leaving," he whispered, steering Nari toward the door at a quick trot, "as soon as we're outside, fly, okay?"

Nari shook her head, "I can't."

He pulled her closer as they slipped out the cathedral doors, the rain pouring down from the sky like a waterfall from the clouds. Several cars were stopped in the middle of the road, the drivers behind the wheel too afraid to push on through the storm.

Nickoli's hand slid down Nari's back, his fingers brushing over her wing in one quick sweep. "It's fine," he whispered, turning down a tight side street, "only dislocated. I can pop it back…" he pulled her to a stop, tightening his grip on her shoulder.

"Streeter!"

Nari blanched, almost tripping over her own feet in her haste to turn around.

Wolf was sprinting full tilt down the sidewalk, his wings flared open despite the traffic all around him. His face was twisted with rage, his lips pulled back over his fangs in a furious snarl.

"Run!" Nickoli breathed, pushing Nari ahead of him.

Nari ran. The buildings flashing by in a soaking swirl, the rain bouncing off the sidewalks. Gutters were choked with water, the streets flowing like rivers as the sky split in two. A spit of lightning sparked across the clouds, the monstrous roar of thunder biting at its heels.

"Nari!" Wolf screamed behind them, his voice getting closer with each step they took.

A tangle of underground subway steps rushed up to meet them. Nickoli grabbed Nari's hand, pulling her after him as he disappeared under the sidewalk.

The subway station was almost deserted. A young couple filed onto the open subway cars behind an old lady, hardly acknowledging the two soaking teenagers that leaped over the closed gate.

Nickoli slid onto the subway car just as the doors skimmed shut, Nari's hand still clasped in his own. The subway jerked forward, squealing like a stuck pig as it pulled away from the empty station. A cold drip of water snaked down Nari's face as she pressed herself against the wall, tears welling up in her eyes.

Wolf slammed his shoulder against the door, cracking his knuckles against the small window set into the metal. His rage-twisted face slowly slid out of sight as the subway left the platform behind. Nari watched until Wolf's pale form faded from sight.

His lips formed deadly oaths, but no sound came out…


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Cable Car

A/N: Woo! Celebrating one week on FanFic! Get the confetti!!!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Thirteen: Cable Car

The subway car rattled unpleasantly along the underground tunnels of New York. Citizens sat calmly in the plastic seats, newspapers and coffee mugs clutched in their hands. No one noticed the soaking teenage girl sitting at the back of the car, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, a large blackish bruise spreading across her cheek.

Nari couldn't stop shivering; everywhere she looked she kept expecting Wolf to just be sitting there. That cocky smile on his face as he patted the seat beside him. _Come here, love. _He would say, his gray eyes harboring a vast sea of hate. _Tell me you love me._

Nickoli brushed his fingers across her back, making her jump and shiver even more. "Come on," Nickoli said, his face drawn and tired. Nari shakily got to her feet and followed him to down the isle of the cable car. They passed through several more sections, each one growing less crowded than the last.

The caboose was empty, it's sole occupant a white moth that fluttered against the window. Nickoli closed the sliding door shut behind him, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed them. He snapped the curtain down for extra privacy.

"Take off your jacket," Nickoli instructed, throwing his own coat to the floor.

Nari gently shed her jacket, careful not to bump her dislocated wing on the cable car walls. The whole place smelled like iron, smarting her eyes and making her nose itch. Now that the threat of Wolf had been left behind, Nari could feel all her bruises to the fullest. The scraps on her cheek were layered with a thin coat of dried blood.

"Hold still," Nickoli mumbled, running his warm hands over Nari's back, checking the dislocation for breaks.

"Will this hurt?" Nari asked.

A burst of pain shot across her shoulder, spreading down her back like melted iron burning red hot. She gasped and lurched out of Nickoli's grasp, stumbling slightly as the car lurched. Then, just as quickly, the pain stopped.

Nari rolled her shoulder hesitantly, expecting another wave of agony. Her wing moved smoothly, and aside from being a bit sore around the edges, it was as if the fracture had never happened.

Nari sat down hard on the plastic seat, burying her face in the palm of her hands. The blocked up emotions locked behind her chest fluttered feebly. Her body was just too tired to freak out. Everything was heavy, numb, and cold…

Nickoli sat down next to her, one of his black wings resting across her back like a feathery comforter. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him and resting his chin on top of her head.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, the knots in her shoulders relaxing.

Nickoli ran his hand lightly over the bruise collecting across her eye, "For what?"

"For not telling you."

Nickoli sighed, hesitantly running his hand down her back, his fingers brushed slightly across her ribs. Nari sucked in a sharp breath and pulled back, tears springing up in her eyes as a wave of pain tore across her chest.

"Jesus," Nickoli cursed, sliding off the seat and falling to his knees next to her, "What? Nari, what is it?"

Nari shook her head, her teeth gritted together too hard to speak. She rolled up the bottom of her shirt, wincing as the cloth stuck to her ribs, sealed there with dried blood.

It was worse than she thought it could ever be.

Wolf's boot had bit deep under the skin, completely removing the top layer and leaving the area raw. Beads of blood welled up from tiny cuts scattered across the reddened skin, trickling steadily across the surrounding flesh that had taken on the characteristics of uncooked meat. The rest of her ribs were covered in a deep purple bruise that was sickeningly blackened around the edges.

Nickoli grabbed his jacket from the floor, tearing the sleeve off without hesitation. He carefully shredded the jacket the best he could, until stringy straps of fabric littered the seat.

At that moment, the cable door swung open and a stingy High School boy with shaggy red hair and a bad acne problem scooted in. He froze when he saw them, his mouth dropping open in a disbelieving oval. The clear glass bottle of vodka he had stashed away under his hoodie clattered to the floor, spilling the transparent liquid everywhere.

Nickoli sprang to his feet, slamming the door shut as the boy made an attempt to sprint away. His wire-rimmed glasses shattered against the floor as Nickoli shoved him down on a bus seat, the collar of the boy's shirt gripped in his fist.

"What the hell are you doing back here?" Nickoli hissed, his face inches away from the red-haired boy's, "do you have any idea what you're stepping into?"

The boy raised his hands in surrender, his face a painting of fear, "H-hey, man, don't freak out, I just came back for a drink, I d-didn't mean anything by it, honest!"

Nari blinked as the cable car swayed sickeningly. A wave of heat crept up her neck, causing a hot sweat to break out across her forehead. She leaned back against the seat, nausea rolling in her stomach. Her feather's bristled uncomfortably, saliva gathering beneath her tongue.

"Nickoli," she groaned, "I think I'm gonna puke…"

Nickoli released the boy, leaning over and cupping Nari's chin in his hands. He pressed his hand against her forehead, eyes dark with worry.

"H-hey," the boy stuttered, sliding across the seat toward them, "is she okay?"

Nickoli flared his wings warningly and the boy flattened himself against the far wall, sweat beading on his brow. "I know a place," he blurted, "I know a place you guys can stay. It's a subway tunnel, not far from here…it was deserted a l-long time ago. Hoboes use it as a resting joint, I can t-take you there…" he trailed off pathetically.

Nickoli chewed on his lip thoughtfully, brushing a lock of hair out of Nari's face. "How far is it?" he asked quietly, wondering why everything had suddenly gone so wrong. A subway seemed like a good place to hide…a place where Wolf couldn't find them.

* * *

The flicker of firelight was visible even from several yards away. An overwhelming smell of smoke and burnt metal floated in the tunnel like smog. The back of the red-haired boy's head bobbed in and out of sight depending on the light that particular stretch of tunnel had to offer.

Nari leaned heavily against Nickoli, her tongue thick and swollen in her mouth. She couldn't remember a time she'd been this sick before. At least at the School the white-coats would throw in an aspirin or two at the first signs of a fever. Here…she had nothing. Just Nickoli's arm around her shoulder to keep her from baking herself on the third-rail.

"It's just around the curve," the boy said, turning back to face them.

"Thanks," Nickoli muttered, helping Nari slid her jacket over her wings.

"Here," the boy blurted, tugging off his hoodie, "take this. I…I was planning on buying a new one soon anyway."

Nickoli hesitated, tugging the thick sweatshirt over his head, "Thanks again."

"And, don't worry," he sputtered, kicking at loose gravel, "I won't tell anyone…about the whole…you know…wings, and everything."

"What's your name?" Nari asked fuzzily, her eyes half-lidded.

The boy scooted around them, smiling shyly, "Peter…just Peter."

Nickoli steered Nari toward the firelight, his head ducked low in the tunnel. "Thank you, Peter," Nari called weakly over her shoulder, the fabric straps around her ribs stretching as she twisted her head.

They settled next to a wall as far away from the other people as they could get, their feet dragging from the long hours they'd gone without sleep.

Nari slumped against the wall, the tight tunnel squeezing around her like the ribcage of a giant beast. She hugged her knees against her chest, closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths.

"How are you feeling?" Nickoli whispered next to her ear.

"Cold," Nari muttered, too tired to form a complete sentence.

Nickoli bound his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer against him to trap in as much heat as they could. Nari hunched her shoulder and relaxed, finally letting sleep roll over her.

Nickoli stared down at the wicked bruise spread across her otherwise peacefully sleeping face. His heart clenched as he pulled her closer, determined to keep her as warm as possible. This was all his fault…

He didn't sleep at all, preferring instead to rock Nari back and forth, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the abandoned tunnel. Waiting for Wolf's pale face to melt out of the darkness. Waiting for the one moment he'd punch that bastards cocky grin into his skull.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: AFO Schmidt

A/N: now celebrating 1000 hits _and_ my first criticism! Adressing 'someone-or-another' I apologize if my story line sounds unoriginal to you, but it is my first fic. I hope to get better the farther along I go, and I hope my future writings don't disappoint you. Until then: Yojne!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Fourteen: AFO Schmidt

_Wolf planted his foot against Pandora's small back, his hands wrapping around the joint that connected her wings to her shoulders. She screamed shrilly as the waves licked at her feet, in seconds, the night was soaking with blood._

The picture blinked out.

_Max was standing on a beach, cradling a dark haired boy's head in her arms. The sand was stained dark crimson, almost churned up into a bloody mud puddle. Four blotched out figures surrounded her in a half-circle._

Everything twisted and shifted.

_Buildings, all shapes and sizes, their bricks crumbling in a cascade of fire. People, kids, tearing the structures down with their bare hands, everything tumbling and cracking beneath the sheer pressure._

Fuzzy and blurred, the picture changed for the last time…

_A toy store. Stretched out like a piece of discarded newspaper across New York's wild streets. An oversized nutcracker stood guard at the entrance as streams of children poured in. Max was leaving, her hand draped across the shoulders of a small girl with blonde curls, a fluffy teddy bear fastened in her arms…_

Nari crouched lower against the concrete, running her hand through her hair as she brushed away the last threads of the dream. She scanned the gathered crowd of homeless that had made the subway tunnels their home, anticipation pulsing through her veins. Nickoli didn't stir as she stood up, stretching her bunched up muscles with relish.

She had seen the toy store in her dreams, AFO Schmidt, and knew that was where she needed to be. She glanced down at Nickoli, a smile twitching at her lips as he turned his head in deep sleep.

_Maybe this was…_

Nari shook her head, picking up a bent iron pipe nestled against the wall a sliding in under her jacket. She ignored the pain when the bar scraped across her bandaged ribs, knowing now that much worse pain was yet to come. The concrete echoed hollowly under her feet as she sprinted down the tight tunnels, the unfinished thought worming back into her mind.

What if that was the last time she would ever see Nickoli?

* * *

Nickoli slid his arm over the empty spot next to him, his eyes snapping open as he quickly sat up. A homeless man shuffled past him, his frayed coat dragging on the ground as he took a long drag of a half-finished cigarette.

"Hey!" Nickoli shouted, quickly pulling himself to his feet. The man stopped and turned around, scratching distractedly at the scruff clinging to his chin. "Did you see where my friend went?" Nickoli asked, "She's a bit shorter than me…blonde hair, blue jacket, big bruise on her face?"

The homeless man muttered something and turned away.

"Hey!" Nickoli snapped.

"I don't know," the man said louder, waving his cigarette in the air, "you ask me questions I don't know. Ask me something I know, and I answer. Until then, I don't say anything." Nickoli watched the man scamper away, a tiny mouse sliding out of the bottom of his coat.

"Dammit!" Nickoli burst, slamming his fist against the concrete.

Where the hell had she gone?

"Are you angry?"

Nickoli spun around, his gaze resting on a small girl that was staring up at him with wide blue eyes. She tugged at the tattered bear stuffed in her waistband, brushing a strand of blonde hair from her face. "Are you angry?" she repeated, impatience creeping into her voice.

"No," Nickoli snapped sarcastically, "punching walls is a favorite past time of mine, wanna join? It's great sport, really."

She shook her head, "No thanks. You are angry. Why?"

Nickoli gritted his teeth, "I've lost something."

She cocked her head, "Something important?"

"Yeah," Nickoli growled, ashamed for yelling at her when it wasn't even her fault, "something really important."

The girl nodded, her face serious, "Don't worry though, Nari will come back."

She flipped her blonde hair one more time and loped away, humming an off-tune lullaby as she zigzagged through the crowd.

Nickoli was glued to the spot, breathing shallowly as he tried to figure out what had just happened. "Hey," he whispered, stumbling forward, "Hey, wait! Come back!"

The crowd parted for him as he rushed after the little girl.

* * *

Nari ran her fingers across a long line of plush elephant dolls, tilting her head back to look at the large industrial ceiling spanning over EFO Schmidt. Several giggling kids rushed past her, wide grins plastered on their faces as they scanned the endless shelves of toys crammed in a single room.

Nari smiled, cradling the pipe under her jacket with one arm. She wondered what it felt like, to just be little and innocent, never having to care about anything.

A voice over the intercom announced that there was a sale on exclusive Lego packs, starting at just sixteen dollars and down. The hairs on the back of Nari's neck stood on end as she picked up a stuffed bear from the shelf, not turning around as a pale figure stepped up behind her.

"Hello, Wolf."

Wolf stared at her, dark circles painted under his bloodshot eyes, "Hello, Nari."

Nari turned around, picking pieces of lint from the bear's furry paw, "I thought you might find me here."

Wolf clenched his fist, blood trickling down his chin as he bit his lip, "Then why did you come?" he growled, anger flaring in his eyes.

Nari set the bear back down, "I have questions," she mused, brushing her hair behind her ear and leaning against the shelf. Wolf took a deep breath, holding back the flood of rage locked in his chest, "Shoot."

"You killed Pandora."

He froze, his eyes narrowing, "How could you know that?"

Nari stared at him, sliding the iron pipe from under her jacket behind her back, "I dreamt it. She came to you in the fog, tired from keeping herself aloft for so long. You tore her wings off…and left her body to sink under the lake. Why?"

Wolf smirked, "She was weak. A child. She could never have kept up with us. Pandora was an anchor…I simply cut the chain."

Nari gritted her teeth, "You said your one goal was to help Max save the world. You were lying then, too, weren't you?"

Wolf shook his head, "Absolutely not. I will help Maximum Ride save the world. I'll help her do that if it's the last thing I ever do."

"How?" Nari snapped, "How will you help her?"

Wolf blinked, shaking his head slightly, "I thought that part would be obvious…I'm going to kill her."

Nari felt the cold metal bite into the palm of her hand as she gripped the pipe tighter, "How does that help her?"

"You just don't understand," Wolf sighed, rubbing his hand over his face, "by killing Maximum Ride, I _am _helping her save the world. You see, she's a warrior. She'll never give up no matter what the School throws at her. She's too stubborn to see the truth, even when it's staring her straight in the face."

He laughed, his eyes pleading her to understand, "The School is trying to save the world, and Maximum Ride is trying to destroy the School. Simply by removing Max from the picture, the School will have a clear shot to their goal. To save the world."

"The School is evil," Nari growled, "what makes you think the white-coats are the key to saving the world."

"It's what they _told _me," Wolf spat, tears of frustration gathering in his eyes, "they told me _everything._ There's a bigger plan, Nari, and Max isn't bending like they want her to. I have to kill her. To save the world, Maximum Ride must be destroyed."

"They _lied _to you, Wolf," Nari pushed, wondering why he couldn't see that for himself, "it's what they do. Max is a good person, you can't just kill her. The School, lies, and manipulates…it sits on a giant pile of secrets."

Wolf bowed his head, his gray eyes fixed on the floor. Nari felt a twang of sympathy in her stomach. The School had pushed Wolf too hard, they'd twisted his mind, made him the monster he was. If there was someway to save him…

"The School isn't the only one that has secrets," Wolf whispered, his face gradually distorting as a row of sharp incisors split free from his gums…


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Maximum Ride

A/N: now celebrating 70 reviews! WHOOOO!!! Okay, back to business. For those of you who were confused about the time glitch...let's just say to prepare yourself for another slap in the face. The flock has finally arrived! EnJoY!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Fifteen: Maximum Ride

Angel padded her way along the subway tunnel, humming quietly to herself as she weaved between the people. The tunnels were dirty, and the rats in the corners gave her the creeps, but this little trip had been Max's idea. And anything Max says, is an automatic law.

After Itex had been destroyed, Max said it would be 'humbling' for all of them to visit the places they had stayed during the long trip to save the world. Personally, Angel just thought that she was getting sick of staying in Dr. Martinez's small house where they had somehow managed to cram six genetic experiments, a white-coat that no one trusted, a teenage girl, and her veterinarian mother.

Angel snatched up Max's hand when she got in range, "Max, can we have pancakes for breakfast? Like the kind Dr. Martinez makes with all the fluff and strawberries?"

Max sighed, tapping her foot impatiently but allowing herself to smile. Angel could do that to you. "Of course, sweetie. Just hang on a minute, Fnick lost his shoe."

Fang glowered at her, tugging on his boot and smoothly getting to his feet.

"All right," Max said, her voice dripping with forced excitement. The trip _had _been her idea, so of course she had to support it every stupid step of the way.

"Maybe Nickoli can come too," Angel suggested innocently, hugging her bear tightly, "I think he could use some pancakes."

Max glanced down at her warily, "Nickoli? What…did you make up another imaginary friend?"

Angel shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing, "I _did not_ make him up. He's one of us, and right now he's really angry because he lost something really important…so I think pancakes could cheer him up."

Iggy brushed his hand over her hair, "One of us?"

Angel sighed, wondering why it was taking so long for them to catch on. "Yeah, you know…one of us," she lowered her voice, "one of the experiments from the School."

Max knelt down and placed her hands on Angel's shoulder, looking her firmly in the eye, "Angel, honey, this is really important. Are you sure you're not making any of this up? Nickoli is real? He's _here_?"

Angel nodded, cocking her head, "Do you want to meet him?"

Nickoli spun around in the crowd of homeless, frustration building in his chest. She had been _right _there just a second ago, and now she was gone. He ran his hand through his hair, gritting his teeth to keep from screaming.

Where the hell had she gone?

"Hi!"

He jumped, turning around to face six kids packed close together, all eyes fixed on him. The little girl from before smiled at him radiantly, her hand clutched around a larger girl's fingers.

"See," she said, obviously proud of herself, "told you he was real."

The girl holding her hand shifted to her other foot, eyeing him suspiciously, "Are you Nickoli?"

"What if I am?" Nickoli said carefully, his eyes sweeping the tunnel for all possible escape routes. There was no way in hell he was going to die before he knew Nari was all right…at least, not without a fight."

"Relax," the older girl said, "you can call me…" she hesitated, as if unsure giving out her name was completely wise, "…uh, Max. Call me Max."

Nickoli froze, his heartbeat pounding around his ears. No way. There was no way this could be happening. After all the days they'd spent looking for her…coasting for hours over the Great Plains, tramping endlessly across New York's sidewalks…only for her to show up in the subway tunnels they'd spent the night by mistake?

"Maximum Ride?" Nickoli asked, watching her face melt into suspicion, "_the_ actual Maximum Ride?"

Max took a small step back, tensing as she narrowed her eyes, "How…"

Nickoli sighed, "We…I've been…looking for you…for a long time…"

* * *

Nari gut wrenched as Wolf's face twisted into a sleek muzzle, his ears elongating into neat points on top of his head, his shoulders broadening as white fur tore free from his skin. 

"I'm sorry," he said, his eyes slowly painted yellow as his nails shaped themselves into sharp claws, "but I've been keeping secrets from you, Nari Streeter. Secrets that you were never meant to know."

He almost looked sad as he lurched forward, unfurling his wings in a high arch over his head, a hint of his former smile playing over his animal-like lips, "I had it all planned out you know. After Max was dead…we were going to go away. Just the two of us. We'd never have to deal with white-coats, or the School, or anybody every again."

Nari took several steps back, wondering how long it would take before people started noticing two oddities holding a death match in the middle of a toy store. "They lied to you," she said slowly, trying to make him understand, "there was to greater plan. The School lives only to destroy…to kill everything in its path."

"They're just trying to help!" Wolf shouted, tears pouring from his lamp-yellow eyes, "Why can't you see that?" He extended his clawed hands, "Please…Nari…please don't do this…"

A woman from across the isle dropped the plastic truck she had been holding, a shrill scream rising from her throat as she caught sight of Wolf standing just a few shelves away. Three seconds was all it took before all hell broke loose.

Nari gripped the bar tightly in her hands; lunging forward and snapping her wings open in one fluid motion. She felt the cold pipe make contact with the soft side of Wolf's muzzle as she sprang into the air, letting her jacket drop to the ground below her.

Wolf howled with pain, clutching the side of his jaw where the pipe had taken off a large section of skin. His pearl white fur was splattered with bright blood as he spun around, all mercy gone from his eyes as a roar ripped free from his throat.

Nari pumped her wings hard, skimming as close as she could get to the high ceiling. This was it.

This is where it was all going to end…

* * *

Nickoli crouched on the ledge of a high building, leaning forward on his toes in a perfect balance, his wings wrapped loosely against his back. 

Max leaned on the ledge next to him, her eyes fixed on the rest of her flock that was lounging on the rooftop several feet away. Out of earshot but not out of sight.

"I don't know how long it took," she said, carefully choosing her words, "we were on the run for what seemed like forever. Everyone kept telling me to save the world, when all I wanted to do was save my family. It was like…one thing after another, just kept getting thrown in my face."

She twisted around, resting her elbows on the concrete ledge, "The flock was split up. I went across seas…went to go find Itex, to see if I could finally put an end to all this."

Nickoli stared down at the cars moving below like ants, "Itex?"

Max nodded, tearing a hand-nail from her index finger and sucking the blood away, "Itex was a branch off of the School…or, at lest as far as we could tell. They were bad, okay? So we took care of them. Finally saved the world, just like everybody wanted me to do."

A slight breeze blew at Nickoli's feathers, "So…now what?"

Max shrugged, "I thought a trip to New York without running for our lives would be fun for the kids. After this…I don't know. I guess we just…go back to normal. Live out the rest of our lives…try not to cause too much trouble."

A chill crept up Nickoli's spine, "That all?"

"Yeah," Max nodded, looking tired, "that's all. I did my job. Now…I just want to…I don't know. I don't want to do this anymore, that's for sure."

Angel squealed with hilarity as Nudge swooped her up in her thin arms across the roof, smiling widely as she hugged her bear closer to her chest. Gasman attacked Nudge's feet, sending all of them tumbling to the floor.

Max smiled, watching them with something beyond love in her eyes. Nickoli rubbed his hands together, his eyes smarting as he thought of Nari. Is that how he looked when she was around? Happy, caring…free?

"Max," he muttered, "I hate to ask this of you…especially after all you've been through. But I need a favor."

Max turned to face him, the living breathing symbol of leadership, "What?"

"Help me," Nickoli whispered, "help me save _my_ world…"


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Inferno

A/N: sorry for the horribly long time it took me to update, the document server was down on my account. ENjoY!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Sixteen: Inferno

Nari banked, turning tight circles around a Lego display of the Empire State Building, the pipe in her hand covering in a fine layer of blood. She scanned the crowd below her, desperately searching for any hint of Wolf's white pelt.

Parents, kids, staff, everywhere…everyone was just…_panicking._

Nari gritted her teeth. She felt like shouting…like screaming at all of them. She was _not_ a freak. She was_ not_ different from them. She felt like them, she bled like them, she cried like them…she loved _just_ like them. So why the hell were they screaming so hard?

Wolf pounded squarely between her shoulders, his boots planting into her spine, snapping her head back and sending her racing toward the floor. Nari rolled out from under him, catching herself at the last moment and spiraling back to the ceiling, the tips of her wings just skimming the tiled floor.

Wolf landed hard on a shelf-top directly below her, crouching low and baring his teeth in a vicious snarl. His slender body twisted and bent in a way that was almost…poetry. Nari blinked in surprised, only now realizing that Wolf was nothing like the other Eraser's she had seen.

He was quicker. His morph had been smoother. It's like he was an entirely different breed.

With a twisted grin, Wolf snatched up a metal box from the shelf, curling his arm back and throwing it as hard as he could. The box was a blur against the still-clustering crowd of shoppers below, spinning wildly through the air like a bullet.

Nari sucked her wings tight against her back, dropping like a rock. The box grazed her shoulder, snapping against the bone and slamming through the ceiling. Nari glanced up at the fist-sized hole the box had left in the plaster, the stars just barely visible through the splintered ceiling beams.

Nari bit her lip.

This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

* * *

Nickoli tried his best to keep up.

Max was a lot quicker than she looked. Her wings a blur against the midnight sky as the three of them cut tight circles over New York. Fang was a silent shadow several feet below them, his black wings glazed with highlights of blue in the darkness.

At first, Max had refused that any of her flock go to AFO Schmidt with Nickoli besides herself. Iggy fell into a moody silence while Nudge argued loudly, but in the end, what Max said always became an unspoken law…a law that didn't apply to Fang. He had simply followed them without a word, despite Max's sour glare.

A cold breeze cut through Nickoli's jacket, making him shiver as the stars winked quietly above them. Without the noise of the traffic, it was so much easier to just coast and _think._ Nickoli closed his eyes, trying to find any hint of where Nari would have gone in the conversations they'd had.

Max stared at him expectantly.

"Her dreams were always unclear," Nickoli shouted above the whipping wind, "never directly to the point. We went to Garden Taverns and the Library…but it seemed like we were always several months late. It's like…she was dreaming of a past that wasn't her own."

"Where else did you go?" Max asked, her eyes sweeping over the ground.

Nickoli shut his eyes again, "Garden Taverns, the Library, and old hotel, the subways tunnels…and a Cathedral. Saint Patrick's. We stayed there for a while before moving on."

Fang glided up beside them, "It sound like they've been a lot of places we have."

Max shrugged, "Every place except one."

They both smiled.

"AFO Schmidt"

* * *

Nari slammed her fist through the poorly fabricated wall, just missing Wolf's slender muzzle by inches. He spun away, angling himself above her and diving down with his jaws split open. Nari dodged away, dancing circles in the air below him.

The store had all but cleared out by now. Every panicking customer spilling out the doors like water crashing through a floodgate. Only a few brave employees remained, their heads ducked under counters as they screamed into the store phones at whoever was on the other line. Nari gritted her teeth so hard her jaw ached. The last thing this fight needed was a bunch of police with guns.

Wolf snatched at her neck, his steely fingers tightening across her windpipe as he drove her back into the wall. The plaster crumpled beneath her weight, giving way to the layer of pipes criss-crossing through the store. A low hissing filled the air. Nari's stomach dropped.

They had hit the gas line.

Wolf slammed her into the wall again, the pipe spinning from her fingers and clattering to the floor below. His clenched teeth were inches from her face, his hot breath making her eyes water.

"I hope Max screams when she dies," Wolf breathed, tracing his finger lightly across her jaw, "I love the way people scream just before their light burns out."

Rage boiled beneath Nari breastbone.

Wolf had ruined _everything._ Pandora's sweet face…crashing beneath a torrent of waves, the water around her stained with blood. Her tiny figure spiraling down into the black water…to a place where Nari would never see her again. She thought back to Nickoli, the way he looked at her when he asked the one question she didn't have the answer to.

_Do you believe in God?_

Nari's vision narrowed, Wolf's yellow eyes pouring tears as he pressed her harder against the wall, his claws digging beneath her skin. If there was a God…could he ever be this cruel?

Nari screamed, lashing out blindly.

Wolf's grip slackened, and then disappeared.

Nari slid to the floor, sucking in several sharp breaths before stumbling back to her feet. Ready for whatever Wolf had to throw at her.

He was standing several feet away, a look of confusion washing across his lamp-yellow eyes. He glanced down at his hand, covered with slick blood…his own blood. The confusion turned to horror as he jerked his head up to look at Nari, his muzzle smashed ruthlessly back into his head.

The bone cutting straight through to the brain.

Wolf slowly sank to his knees, his breath ragged as his face slowly re-formed. The hair pulling back, his eyes washing to gray…the blood continuously pouring from his nose and mouth.

Nari's stomach churned, bitter tears choking her throat.

She'd killed him.

"Nari," Wolf whispered, tears rolling down his cheeks as the floor around him was bathed in a puddle of crimson, "I-I…didn't want it to be…like this…" He fell back, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his shoulders ridged as he faced the ceiling.

Nari hesitated; her heart pounding as she carefully picked her way next to him, her pants soaking up the blood as she knelt. Wolf's eyes flickered to her, flooded with fear. Nari shook her head, "I'm sorry."

He smiled, shaking his head.

His face was next to hers in a blur, his lips brushing over her cheek as he grinned. Cocky. Confident. Simply…Wolf.

"No," he whispered, running his hand behind her neck, "it's me, Nari. It's me who should be apologizing…for killing you."

Nari glanced down at the spot in her chest where she could feel a faint pressure. The metal pipe from the subway tunnel glinted up at her, angled upward to slip perfectly under her ribs. She ran her fingers through the thick blood collecting over Wolf's white-knuckle grip on the rod, a grim smile spreading across her face.

"So that's it," she mused, the coldness from the pipe spreading across her chest.

"Yeah," Wolf muttered, his eyes dimming, "that's it…"

"Just for the record," Nari muttered, watching as Wolf slid back to the floor, "I never loved you."

Wolf smiled, watching quietly as their blood mixed on the floor, "I know," he breathed, running his fingers through the puddle.

"I know…"


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Times Up

A/N: Okay, you can beat me up for taking so long if you really feel like it. But in my defense, my base of opperation (the school) temporarily blocked this website so I had to upload it on my pathetically slow home computer. Anyway, the end is near! **Only one chapter remains!** Enjoy! And please make your lasts reviews worth it!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Seventeen: Times Up

Nickoli's eyes smarted as he tilted farther into the wind, tears welling up over his squinting eyes. The one problem with flying in New York was the pollution in the air. There was just _so much_. It was like flying through a sandstorm consisting of exhaust and smog. Yet…it seemed worse now. There was more of it than before.

He pulled up, his wings catching on a warm updraft and holding him there.

The sky was covered in a thin veil of black smoke. It twisted and swirled, hot against Nickoli's face. He extended his hand, catching a particle spiraling up to meet him. It fell apart in his hand…ash.

"Something wrong?" Max asked, appearing from the smoke just below him. She looked worried, her face slightly streaked with ash from the sudden storm.

Nickoli shook his head, "There's so much…where's it all coming from?"

Max shrugged, turning to glance back at Fang who was silently gliding on a hot breeze. She jerked her head into the smoke, "We're almost there anyway. AFO Schmidt is just over that last skyscraper, it'll take all of five minutes to reach it. Come on."

Nickoli leaned cautiously into the wind.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

* * *

The smoke pressed in from all sides, black and hot, ashes dancing angrily into the sky. Higher and higher until the wind blew them apart and scattered over the building tops.

Nickoli landed hard, teetering just on the edge of the tallest skyscraper he could see. The tips of his sneaker peered over the edge as he leaned foreword, staring down at the long flat building below. His feather's bristled uncomfortably in the heat, sweat snaking down the back of his neck.

"Oh my God," Max breathed, landing lightly beside him.

The building was on fire.

Tongues of crimson flame leaped into the sky; smoke spiraling out of windows and open doorways. The roof was collapsed in one part, bowing down to the building floor, the edges warped and melted, scorched black by the heat.

Nickoli shook his head. The building didn't matter. All that mattered was Nari.

"Where's the toy store?" he asked, the hairs on the back of his neck rising.

Max glanced over at him, cocking an eyebrow, "Nickoli…that _is_ the toy store."

Nickoli's stomach dropped. _No way. No way. There was no way…_

He snapped his wings open, feeling the ground give way as he tilted off the edge of the building, dread settling in his chest like a rock. Max slapped her arm open, catching him hard and slamming him back against the skyscraper's roof. Fang pressed his boot down on his ribs, holding him in place.

"What the _hell_!" Nickoli screamed, straining to push Fang's boot away.

"You're not _fireproof_!" Max snapped, "What are you planning on doing?"

Nickoli slammed his fists against Fang's leg, rocking back in an attempt to throw him off, "Something!" he shouted, "I have to do _something_!"

"We don't even know if she's down there," Fang growled, pressing harder.

"And I'm not waiting to find out!" Nickoli snarled, twisting around and slamming his palm against the side of Fang's knee. The pressure on his chest gave way and he rolled out from under him, dodging Max's arms in one fluid movement.

Without hesitation, Nickoli threw himself off the skyscraper.

He didn't bother opening his wings all the way, preferring instead to extend the tips out just long enough to guide his fall. The hole in the roof came up fast, smoke smothering him from all sides. Fire jumped foreword as he bolted through the hole, flames dancing over his wingtips as he pulled up, hitting the floor so hard the tile cracked under his feet.

The toy store was choked with smoke.

Plastic casings molded into the shelves, stuffing going up in flame like brushwood in the desert. The lighting fixtures above crackled, sparking blue stars jumping across fallen cables on the floor, taking root and spreading into smaller flames.

Nickoli raised his arm to shield his eyes, unfurling his wings to their fullest and beating back the fire as best he could.

"Nari!"

A section of the wall collapsed, strands of fire snaking down from the ceiling like streamers at a Christmas party. Nickoli stumbled away, holes appearing in his shirt where the ash settled to burn. His throat tightened as the smoke rushed into his lungs.

"Nari Streeter!"

The floor suddenly grew wet.

Nickoli slid, his knees cracking against the tile, the tender skin on his palm splitting and spilling blood.

Blood.

There was too much of it to come from his small cut.

Nickoli spun around, his heart pounding against his ears.

Nari's blank eyes stared back at him, her limp body sprawled awkwardly in the dark puddle. Her lips were cracked and swollen, spread slightly apart as if she was about to say something, a single line of red cut across her otherwise white-flushed face.

She wasn't moving.

Wasn't breathing.

Nickoli slid closer to her, shutting out the fire. Nothing else mattered.

"Nari?" he brushed his hand across her face, pulling her into his lap, "Nari? Can you…no, no, no. Nari!"

Fang was suddenly there, his black wings flaring against the inferno. He fastened his iron grip around Nickoli's upper arm, "Come on! We've got to get out of here!"

Nickoli shook his head, sliding farther down into the puddle, "I'm not leaving her."

Fang hesitated, glancing back over his shoulder at the spreading fire.

"Fine," he growled, falling to his knees and gathering Nari up in his arms, her head lolled back.

"It's a standing take-off from the floor," Nickoli shouted over the roar of the fire, "she's too heavy. You'll never make it."

"Go," Fang said curtly, jerking his chin to the hole in the ceiling, "I'm fine."

Nickoli shut his eyes, gritting his teeth as hard as he could and jumped.

Fang rose behind him, his dark wings slamming laboriously against the air.

Nickoli spun away from the building, his lungs screaming as he cleared the smoke cloud. He twisted around in the air, scanning the debris below, sweat pricking under his scalp. _Dammit. _They weren't going to make it.

Fang shot up from below the smoke, Nari swinging limply from his grip. Nickoli spiraled down to meet him, sliding his arms around Nari's waist and letting her fall back on his shoulder, taking on her full weight. Fang hung around for a second to see if Nickoli could handle her and then nodded to the skyscraper.

The gravel on the roof crunched as Nickoli landed, stumbling slightly as Nari slid off his shoulder. He lowered her gently to the ground, his hands shaking as her blood spread across his arms, glinting in the faint light of the fire.

The air stirred as Fang landed next to him cautiously, waving to Max who was standing on the other side of the roof. She sprinted over to meet them, the rage in her face fading to horror as she slid to a stop.

"She's not breathing," Nickoli whispered, his breath coming in short quick gasps, "Max…why isn't she breathing? Help me!"

Max carefully lifted the edge of Nari's shirt, grimacing as the shredded fabric fell back to reveal the jagged hole under her ribs. Max closed her eyes, as if waiting for someone else to tell her what to do. She shook her head, "I can't handle this. She needs a doctor."

"What doctor!" Nickoli screamed, biting back the stone working its way up his throat, "What doctor would take her! There's no one!"

He shoved her away, wrapping his arms around Nari's limp shoulders, "You're supposed to know what to do!" he shouted, tears spilling down his cheeks, panic fueling his words, "You're supposed to be the great Maximum Ride! What the hell am I supposed to _do_!"

Max didn't say anything, shock fluttering behind her eyes.

She glanced at Fang, nodded once, and placed her hand softly on Nickoli's shaking shoulder, "I know," she whispered, "I know where to take her."

Nickoli dug his fingernails into his arm, feeling a faint heartbeat against his chest as he pressed Nari closer.

"I know who can save her."


	19. Chapter Eighteen: The End

A/N: the final installment of my first fanfic. I really hope you've enjoyed this. Until next time!

* * *

Nari Streeter

Chapter Eighteen: The End

Max pressed the cold payphone closer to her ear, depositing two quarters into the machine and dutifully closing the door behind her. The phone rang several times. Max waited patiently. She knew he was there. He was always there. She bit her lip as the phone-line clicked to life.

"Hello."

"Hey," she said quietly, ducking her head as a pedestrian rushed past to catch the bus, "it's me. Max. I need your help."

There was a pause.

"Max?"

"Yeah," Max drummed her fingers impatiently, "listen, I know it's not every day that I just ring up your cell, but this is urgent. Someone…a friend…she's hurt really bad. Like…hospital bad. But we can't take her to any old hospital, because she's…well, she's like us."

Silence.

Max held back a groan, "Hey. You still there," she waited several seconds, counting the number of times her heart beat, "Jeb! Pick up, man!"

"Right," Jeb said, suddenly all business, "there's a hospital in downtown New York. It's called Saint Jude's…a children's hospital. Take her there. Ask for Dr. Greenberg, he's an old colleague, you can trust him. I'm taking the next flight in…Max? Don't let anyone else see her, okay? _Nobody_ but Dr. Greenberg can see her, do you understand?"

Max nodded, and then remembered he couldn't see her, "Yeah, I got it. Thanks"

The phone rattled in its receiver as Max slammed it down, sprinting out of the booth before Jeb had disconnected on the other line.

The rosy New York skyline was still tinted with hints of smoke as the sun rose over the skyscrapers.

* * *

Fang tapped the white countertop nervously, his eyes flickering over the group of people waiting in the hospital's front lounge. One of the children, his eye swollen twice its regular size, stared at him from the floor. Fang turned away, trying to block out the smell of bare anesthetics bouncing off the walls. 

A nurse came up from the other side of the counter, a plastic smile on her face, "Hello, sir. Welcome to Saint Jude's. How may I help you?"

Fang ran his fingers through his hair, "Um…I'm looking for Dr. Greenberg, do you know where I can find him?"

The nurse cocked her head, "I'm sorry. Dr. Greenberg is taking lunch. If you like, you can wait for him to come back, or leave your message with me and I'll be sure to pass it along."

Fang bit back a string of choice remarks. He leaned forward and grabbed the nurse's wrist, pulling her down to his level.

"Listen," he growled, "I've got a very sick girl on my hands, and I won't accept any other doctor besides Greenberg. Now you can cut the crap and pull him out of whatever he's doing…or I can break down every door of this place and find him myself. Got it?"

The nurse pressed her lips together, "Young man, you're hurting my hand. I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises. Dr. Greenberg is taking lunch."

Fang tightened his grip, gritting his teeth together.

"Is there a problem?"

Fang dropped the nurse's hand, turning slightly to face the tall dark-skinned man with half-moon glasses standing next to him. The man hand one hand shoved deep into his white-coat pocket, his other one wrapped around a simple metal clipboard. Fang brushed off the rush of memories.

"Dr. Greenberg," the nurse said, surprised, "I'm sorry if we troubled you, I was just asking this young man to leave…"

"Jeb sent me," Fang said quickly, curling his hand into a fist at his side to ease his nerves, "he's calling you in on a favor. One of Itex's pets is hurt…" he trailed off, realizing how stupid the speech Max had prepared for him was. The nurse blinked, cocking an eyebrow, clearly not understanding a thing he had just said.

Dr. Greenberg, on the other hand, froze. His eyes narrowing under his glasses, "Jeb?" he whispered, "Jeb sent you? What…" He shook his head, his jaw set firmly, "never mind. Come with me."

He turned and walked briskly down a vacant hallway. Fang glanced at the nurse irritably and turned to follow him. The lights above flashed like a camera going off over and over again. The tile floor echoing hollowly off the empty walls.

"Are you one of them?" Dr. Greenberg asked once out of earshot.

Fang nodded silently.

"Bring your friend in through the back," Dr. Greenberg ordered, "I'll prep the O.R. and ready a room…away from prying eyes. If your friend is like you, the last thing we need is paparazzi running around Saint Jude's looking for angels."

* * *

Nickoli paced the hallway, the slight burns on his arms smarting painfully. Dr. Greenberg had offered to wrap them up, but he had refused. Take care of Nari first. That's all that matters. He glanced at the clock. 

Three hours.

They had been in the hospital for three hours, and still no word from anyone.

Max had left an hour back, promising to return once she had taken care of the rest of her flock. Fang sat silently in a chair against the wall, his hands folded in his lap, staring darkly at the ceiling.

"Stop pacing," Fang said quietly, closing his eyes.

Nickoli leaned back against the wall, tapping his foot to the rhythm of the clock.

Fang glanced over at him, "Don't you ever stop?" he asked, an edge creeping into his voice. Nickoli chewed on his lip, tearing at the skin inside his mouth until he tasted blood.

"Jesus," he sighed, his nerves shot, "why won't they tell us anything?"

The door at the end of the hall swung open, spilling sunlight across the floor. Max walked briskly toward them, flanked by two adults with grim looks of their faces.

"Nickoli," Max said quickly, nodding toward her companions, "this is Dr. Martinez, and Jeb Batchelder. Don't freak, they're friends. Everyone, this is Nickoli."

Dr. Martinez extended her hand hesitantly.

Nickoli ignored it, staring fixedly at the other door and resuming his pacing.

Max glanced at Fang, and he shrugged, "Won't stop," he sighed sliding farther down into the chair, "I'd strangle him if I wasn't so tired."

Max shot him a withering look.

"Nickoli," Jeb said, his voice calm and reserved, "may I have a moment?"

* * *

Nickoli glanced back at the other end of the hall where Max and the others were waiting. He wiped away a speck of blood on his lip from where he's chewed through the skin and turned to face Jeb. 

"I heard they found something in the rubble of a toy store just down the street from here," Jeb said innocently, running his finger down a crack in the wall, "the body was charred beyond recognition…but they found it odd that it appeared to have…another set of limbs growing from its back. Care to explain?"

Nickoli snorted, turning away from him, "He deserved it. Every bit."

Jeb smiled sympathetically, "Wolf. That's what he called himself…didn't he?"

Nickoli didn't answer.

Jeb sighed heavily, sliding down into a chair bolted into the wall, "There's something you have to understand, Nickoli. Wolf…was not a bad person. The experiments…the tests that made him…they were bad. Not Wolf."

"How would you know?" Nickoli growled, folding his arms over his chest.

Jeb stared down at his clasped hands.

"Because, Nickoli," he said quietly, "I made him. Wolf was one of many. Experiments that had gone wrong. In Wolf…I hoped to create a new line of Erasers."

He laid his hands out in front of him like a scale, "One third avian. One third canine. One third human. Yet…at what time does the human inside finally get lost to the animal? At what point does a human's better judgment fall away to raw instinct?"

Nickoli stared down at the floor, the burnt edges of his sneakers leaving scuffed black marks on the otherwise spotless tile. Wolf…was not a bad person…

The door burst open, and Dr. Greenberg walked in, his face grave…

* * *

Nari felt the breath scrape past her throat, burning as she breathed out. 

She tilted her head, the tubes snaking across her face straining as she surveyed the room. Everything was so bright. She squinted; running her tongue over her cracked lips and concentrated on breathing.

_Wolf_…

She clenched her fist. He was dead.

Nickoli…

The door slid open quietly.

Nickoli shut the door behind him, his dark wings extending slightly as he leaned back against the wall. He didn't say anything…just stared.

"Hey," Nari croaked, tears springing in her eyes as the words scraped out.

Nickoli pressed his lips into a firm line, pushing himself off the door. He crouched next to the hospital bed, his eyes running over the tubes and needles stretched across the sheets.

Nari swallowed, "It looks worse than it is."

Nickoli shook his head, knotting his fingers through hers, "I'm sorry I wasn't quick enough," he whispered, "I should have been there for you."

Nari closed her eyes, listening to the silence settling over the room. The clock on the wall clicked faintly. The sunlight streaming through the window, warming her face.

"Now what?"

Nickoli turned away, "I don't know…we'll just have to see."

Tears blurring her vision, she felt Nickoli's grip tighten on her hand. "The doctor said I can't get out of bed for a week."

Nickoli smiled faintly, turning back to look at her with his warm gaze, "I'll stay with you. I won't leave you side"

She screwed her eyes shut, "He said I can't walk…for two months."

He leaned closer, "I'll get you a wheelchair."

Nari shook her head, the tears finally spilling over, "I can't fly for half a year."

Nickoli pressed his lips against her forehead, wiping her tears away with his burnt thumb, "I promise," he muttered…

"I'll fly for both of us."

* * *

For those of who that have a billion questions...let's just say that you'll have to use your own imagination to come up with an explanation. You don't like the end...then come up with your own! Well, that's it! Thanks for reading my blurgs of insanity and sticking with it to the last straw. I'M DONE!! 


	20. Acknowledgments

Acknowledgements

I decided to make an ending page to all my super-special (not in a brain dead way) readers that stuck with me throughout the end. You don't have to read it, but it will make me feel better to know that you guys got something out of this besides carpel tunnel syndrome.

**To BlueFox**: _EXTRA_ special thanks for actually introducing me to FanFic and entertaining me with your ridiculously brilliant stories, showing up at school every day so I actually have someone who can swoon over Fang, Edward, ect without calling me a moron, and throwing Wolf into a Theme Park edition of a totally messed up and wicked awesome story.

**To Darth Atkid**: for being my first reviewer and writing a lovely Bus Seat story that actually made me _feel_ something in my otherwise empty and hollow space where my heart _should _be.

**To FlamingFlie**: even though your signature names kind of freaked me out…hehe…you make me laugh and that's what counts.

**To WingsofPurple**: Purple…purpl-ey…purp..pupple….wow, purple is such a fun word! Anyway, hugs for staying with me.

**To Wings of a Rebel**: mostly for just having a totally awesome penname and shoving your input into my story.

Anyway, thanks to all the others who ever review, maximum-ride-003, aviator301, Night's Angel31, Flame-Taw, skyflyer81310, Blueaqua, alamodie, I am Brooklyn, maximumtrouble10, no name (for safety), and all you UNKNOWNS that were too lazy to sign in, just kidding, put down the freakin pitchforks!

Please go to the next 'chapter' to see a sneak preview of my new-est story coming out...well actually it's already out now. SO GO READ IT!!

Until next time…HOOPLA!!!

--- Armageddon Child


	21. Sneak Peek

Sneak Peek

The Riddlyr

In my world, Itex rules.

The year is 2030, and it was almost twenty-three years ago that everything fell apart. There was nothing any of us could to do stop it. There was no weapon to hold them back, no treaty to meet their satisfaction…no mercy as their reign began.

The government fell; it had been unsteady to begin with. The public submitted; their courage had faded a long time ago. People gave up…and they let Itex do…whatever Itex wanted.

I had heard rumors…of when Itex was still young.

They were naive in the ways of genetic engineering. Haphazardly creating experiments…oddities…freaks. Itex had grown a lot since the disasters of its youth, their designs perfect. Their Erasers flawless. Their grip tightening around the world's throat.

That's when the virus broke free.

It escaped from the labs by accident, an experiment that…didn't go quite exactly as planned. It infected pregnant women, settling into the babies growing within them. Warping them. Infusing them. Deforming them…

It was then that the first Fledglings were born.

The world had seen avian-hybrids before, but never like this…

Fledglings were born with wings. They were born naturally. They were born superior…and Itex was afraid.

A pill was created.

It stunted Fledgling growth, made them…less. Yet, even the Alter Pill had faults. Tiny holes in its structure. Strands missing from the overall. Defeating its function. No matter how hard they tried, the Alter Pill still had flaws.

I am one of those flaws.

They call me The Riddlyr…


End file.
